The Choices We Make
by The Great Weiss Shark
Summary: One night. One question. And a lifetime's worth of regret.
1. Chapter 1

_**The Choices We Make**_

The Great Weiss Shark

* * *

 _ **Chapter One: Promises**_

* * *

Graduation day was a bittersweet affair in Ruby's honest opinion. She had always felt out of place during heavy emotional events like these, her default reaction being a childish laugh and impatience. Ruby understood the sentimentality behind it, but it was still nothing more than just an overhyped occasion, sort of like birthday parties or family reunions—especially like family reunions.

Curious, she dared a glance over to her left and saw her teammates Blake and Yang looking equally ambivalent. It was comforting to know she wasn't the only one feeling this way. Saying goodbye was difficult; there was no doubt in her mind about that, but it was even harder to hold onto the past. They had to keep moving forward. They had to stay vigilant.

"And now a few words from this year's valedictorian," Professor Ozpin calmly said, leaning into the microphone ever so slightly. "Ladies and gentlemen, Ms. Weiss Schnee."

The auditorium exploded in a cacophony of applause and adulation as a beautiful young woman, dressed in a sharp snow-white tuxedo over a crimson dress shirt, walked proudly onto the stage. She strode towards Ozpin elegantly with her head held high and shook his hand firmly when offered.

Ruby couldn't contain her joy when she saw her breathtakingly handsome partner take the stand. "That's my girlfriend!" she shouted gleefully at the top of her lungs, hooting and hollering. "Go Weiss! Represent Team RWBY!"

"Be quiet, you dolt!" a visibly flustered Weiss snapped, her irritated voice amplified by the microphone. The auditorium went deathly silent and all eyes were suddenly on Ruby who fell back into her seat dying of embarrassment. "Ahem, now that everyone has settled down… I would like to begin by saying how much of an honour it is to be standing here in front of you all. Though, to be perfectly honest, I'm actually just happy to be standing at all; that final exam was incredibly difficult."

A wave of weak chuckles washed over the graduates like a lazy tide on the shore. It lacked any real mirth since Weiss' words were painfully true. Ruby still couldn't move without having her muscles scream in absolute agony, and she was sure the rest of her team weren't faring any better.

"But I digress," Weiss continued with a thoughtful sigh. "The trial we overcame was but a mere taste of the hardships we will face in the years to come. We are huntsmen and huntresses from here on out, guardians sworn to uphold the pride and integrity set forth by those who came before us.

"First, I would like to thank our professors for teaching us to the best of their abilities. The wisdom you have bestowed unto us will never be forgotten—Yang Xiao Long may be the one exception though. That woman is one serious concussion away from either amnesia or permanent brain damage. Maybe both."

"I don't know who that is, but she sounds awesome!" Yang shouted in response, earning her a hearty laugh.

"My point exactly," Weiss chuckled dryly. "I would like to especially thank Professor Goodwitch for always cleaning up our messes; you have the patience of a saint. I know we've caused you a lot of trouble over the years, what with the constant influx of criminal activity directed at me and my family, the random citywide invasions that tend follow my team wherever we go, and let's not forget the disastrous food fights we've found ourselves deeply embroiled in from time to time. So on behalf of team RWBY—yes, Ruby, I am indeed 'representing'." Ruby sat back down, arms crossed with a small pout on her face. "Ahem, thank you for always being there. How you manage to do all that you do without raising your voice is a feat I will never be able to comprehend, because if it were me… well, we've all heard about what happened to my dormitory last year. I regret nothing.

"Now, Professor Ozpin, I also have a few choice words reserved especially for you. I have been dying to say this for years and I believe now is the most opportune time to lay it all out." Weiss looked over her shoulder to the grey-haired man in green who kindly smiled back at her, but instead of returning it she merely frowned at him. "I blame you for my early descent into insanity. Because without you and your crazy machinations, I would not have had to spend these four…" Weiss paused and continued in a much lighter tone, "amazing years with the infuriating Ruby Rose, impetuous Yang Xiao Long, and angsty Blake Belladonna constantly at my side disrupting my studies. I wouldn't be here smiling my brightest if it weren't for you, so thank you from the bottom of my cold, icy heart.

"Next I would like to thank my teammates Yang and Blake for everything they have done for me and for helping write this speech. We may not have always agreed or saw eye-to-eye, but you two are my dearest of friends and I wish you both the best of luck and success wherever the winds may take you. Even if our paths were to diverge here, I'm sure we'll meet somewhere else down the line. But hopefully not too far down, I would miss you both terribly. So how about brunch next Tuesday? My treat.

"And now, last but not least, to the person who has made the biggest impact in my life, my best friend and leader, Ruby Rose. You dunce, you better know how much I love you. The time I have spent with you have literally been the best years of my life, though you probably shaved off just as much with that death trap you made me sleep under for the first year and a half. I never thought we'd get this close. When you were picked to be leader over me, I resented you. I legitimately hated you, in fact. What did you have that I didn't? What made you so special that Professor Ozpin chose to personally invite you into Beacon while I had to claw my way up? The jealousy I felt made me scrutinize every little thing you did… but before I knew it, I wasn't watching you to find a fault. I was watching you because you shined so brightly, like a gem held up to the sun. You sparked a fire in me that continues to burn to this day. You made me strive for a life that went beyond my family name, rankings, and academics… you are what Beacon Academy stands for. You embody it, and like a torch you pass it along to every soul you encounter—mine included. The bravery you display in the face of adversity and the uncanny charm you have that can make even the most cynical of people want to believe in hope again, those are the qualities of a great leader... I am so proud of you."

Putting both hands over her mouth, Ruby did her best to hold back her choked sobs. The tears ran freely down Ruby's cheeks; she didn't care if the whole school saw her break down. She had built a reputation amongst her peers as the girl who always smiled and never cried. They were usually right in that assumption, but to hell with it now. She was so incredibly happy. The fears spawned from four years of constantly worrying if she deserved to have someone as brilliant as Weiss as both her partner and lover were gone in an instant. She had made Weiss proud. She was worthy.

The rest of Weiss' speech went by in a blur, Ruby too dazed by Weiss' beauty and confidence to pay any real attention. But she could tell from the crowd's excited reaction that it was well received—yes, even the puns were well "reschneeved". Ruby wanted groan out loud when she caught on to those, but the audience seemed to like them. Either way, the light hearted jokes Yang threw in between Blake's passionate statements melded in seamlessly with Weiss' highly articulated manner of speech. Ruby was a little sad she didn't pay closer attention, but knowing Weiss and the press, she would be able to find it online or see it in the news eventually.

Everything revolving around her team was a simple search away; however, the validity of some of the sources was up for question. It was rather difficult for them to adjust to Weiss' celebrity status, especially for Blake, but they eventually did to some degree. For example, their first date and kiss had become a public affair mere hours after, much to Ruby's chagrin. Even Blake and Yang were subjected to the press' unforgiving prying eyes. Ruby was just relieved to know her other first time with Weiss didn't make headlines… well, at least, she hoped so. On second thought, the part of the speech where Weiss profusely thanked her public relations representative was starting to make a little more sense; she'd have to ask Weiss about it later tonight, when they were alone.

A couple hours had passed since then, the time whizzing by in a euphoric blur as the graduates mingled happily in the fully catered reception hall. Yang and Blake had excused themselves earlier that evening, leaving Weiss, Ruby, and their other friends behind. It was a little sad to see her team split up on their final night as students, but just like she and Weiss, they too had their own lives to discuss.

While an onslaught of eager party goers lined up to talk to her girlfriend, Ruby shied away to a two-seated table next to a window in a forgotten corner. The limelight still made Ruby feel uncomfortable; that was Weiss' world, not hers, and she was more than happy to stay back in the shadows while her lover basked in the attention. Weiss Schnee deserved the people's respect; she was on the path to greatness with the future of Faunus equality rights resting on her wings. But where did that leave Ruby?

The four years she'd spent in Beacon flew past her in the blink of an eye. There was never a moment where she could stop and think about what she would do once this magical time was over. Other than being a huntress, Ruby couldn't see anything else.

A lot was clearly on her mind, most of it pertaining to her journey with the future CEO. A quick peek in her girlfriend's general direction told Ruby that Weiss would be busy for quite awhile more, and she went back to her thoughts with a lonely sigh.

Things with Weiss were great. She loved Ruby immensely; it was evident in the fondness reflected in Weiss' pale blue eyes. The icy heiress also had a habit of listlessly losing herself in Ruby's eyes when the redhead rambled on about something she deemed unimportant. She'd just casually tune Ruby out and continue watching her with a lopsided smile, feigning interest just so Ruby would keep talking. The way Weiss looked at her like she was the only other person in the world always managed to make Ruby blush when she finally noticed. And whenever Weiss made love to her, Ruby could tangibly feel her lover's unwavering devotion through her gentle and masterful ministrations; the passionate kisses that always managed to take Ruby's breath away and make her weak in the knees were her favourite, and the warm, comforting embrace they shared after their mutual desires were successfully sated was often enough to make Ruby forget about the dangers they faced as huntresses. It was a fairytale romance by all definition, but Ruby felt it was too perfect, and that unsettled her greatly.

Their relationship started off like one of Blake's romantic novels. The two protagonists meet in a less than desirable way, and thanks to an uncanny coincidence, they're left in a situation where they're irrevocably forced together. Then through difficult hardship and strife, the two realize that the other is more than meets the eye, and the mutual attraction begins. It's here that the story's main conflict arises. Normally, it's a misunderstanding where one is caught with another person in a precarious situation, this person usually having history with the protagonist, and the two would-be lovers go their separate ways. Insert a sappy montage with equally sappy music of them pining helplessly for one another but being too stubborn to apologize and get on with things. The story ends with one of the protagonists hitting their limit and proclaiming their love, apologizing over and over for their stupidity, and etcetera. Then they kiss and make up. End of story. Touching. Really.

Ruby rubbed her cold hands together to warm them up, wishing Weiss was with her; nothing felt quite as comforting as having Weiss' hands in hers. She looked at her open palms and pictured Weiss casually slipping hers on top, completing the puzzle. They fit together so perfectly that they were practically made for each other, like puzzle pieces that just fell into place or a key to a lock. Everything was so damn perfect it wasn't fun anymore.

Ruby furrowed her brows at the pervading thought and banished it to the void. Weiss meant everything to her. She brought a cool, comforting stability to the chaos in Ruby's life, acting as the bright light at the end of a long tunnel. She had a home with Weiss, the only place where she could rest her weary wings without worry.

So lost in her musings, Ruby failed to notice Weiss approach her until the white haired woman spoke, shattering the dome of dissonance encasing her.

"Sorry for leaving you alone like that. It was one thing after another," Weiss apologized, offering her girlfriend her hand. Dumbfounded, Ruby blinked twice before taking it and standing up. "Anyway, I need you to follow me; there's something I have to show you."

"Alright, Ms. Valedictorian, lead the way." Ruby gave Weiss' hand a squeeze and said, "So, where to?"

* * *

Weiss kept Ruby close as she led her to the courtyard where they first met. She had talked animatedly on their way there about their colourful past, the friends they'd made, and all of the unforgettable adventures they had during their four crazy years together at Beacon Academy. Ruby was entranced by Weiss' sultry voice, pulled in by the velvety smooth tone overflowing with her typical brand of Schnee confidence; Weiss was in peak form tonight. Yet despite the duelist's valiant efforts, Ruby saw through the façade. She could easily tell from the way Weiss' hand trembled in hers that the older woman was nervous. About what, exactly, she wasn't sure. But the strong, determined look burning fiercely in Weiss' beautiful blue eyes told her that this whole evening, and its peculiarities, were something her meticulous partner had planned.

Weiss' words were soon few and far between, and often tapered off into quiet grunts of acknowledgement or amused hums. Ruby theorized that the closer they got to their destination, the more nervous Weiss would get—at least that's what the heiress' intimidating expression told her. She had deciphered the socially obtuse woman's actions years ago. Not even Weiss' nastiest glare could make Ruby flinch. In fact, she thought Weiss looked rather cute with the tight-lipped snarl. Others begged to differ, but Ruby didn't care about them. They didn't know Weiss they way she knew her.

Ruby's eyes had been so focused on her lover's commanding form and grace that the red petals littering the ground went unnoticed until their subtle scent tickled her senses. Weiss grinned down victoriously at her when she saw the sparkle of discovery twinkle in Ruby's eyes. Before them were two neat rows of dimly lit tea candles. They illuminated the smooth concrete pathway with their gentle light, pushing back a small a piece of the starry veil of darkness that lulled the city of Vale to sleep. Ruby could see that all of their friends were there waiting for them, their faces giddy with anticipation. Even a few unfamiliar faces stood out in the small crowd gathering around the candles and rose petals, drawn in by the curious sight.

Ruby looked back and forth between the simple yet elegant sight before her and Weiss Schnee's trademarked "I've impressed you, haven't I?" look. It infuriated her to no end that the sometimes painfully predictable heiress was able to surprise _her_ , Ruby Rose, Huntress Extraordinaire. But, as always, she was too excited to find out what Weiss had up her sleeve to voice any real annoyance. All Weiss' gifts and surprises had come from the heart and were never garish or extravagant like people often imagined. They were sweet and well-thought out and so typically Weiss.

"Weiss, what's this all about?" Ruby asked, tightening her grip on Weiss' hand in case the heiress tried to escape. "C'mon, tell me already!"

Despite the pleading questions, Weiss remained silent. She stood stock still with her eyes trained at the center of her little display, a small opening with a wide berth filled with rose petals. The first step she took was hesitant and heavy, weighted down by an unclear reason. And every step she took thereafter continued the trend, growing more mechanical and rigid as they neared their final destination. Ruby stuck to her heiress like a sloth on a tree branch, refusing to let go.

"Ruby," Weiss said curtly, startling the younger woman.

"Yeah?" Ruby reluctantly let go of Weiss to properly face her. When Weiss used that specific tone of voice with her it usually meant she was in for a scolding or a lecture of some sort, but her instincts were telling her that it was neither this nor that. "What's up, princess?"

"Dolt," Weiss chuckled.

The hardened expression on Weiss' face melted away when light blue met molten silver. A small smile graced her pale pink lips, the one reserved only for Ruby's eyes when they were in public. It let the self-conscious girl know she wasn't in any trouble, and usually, that alone was enough to assuage her doubts, but not this time. In fact, all it managed to do was drain what little patience she had left.

Weiss lifted her left hand up to Ruby's cheek and caressed it lovingly, her thumb ghosting over the redhead's rosy lips. The look of utter devotion on Weiss' face coupled with her regal countenance made Ruby think of a fairy tale prince who had just saved his princess.

"We've been stuck together for four years," Weiss said for the umpteenth time this day; it made Ruby want to roll her eyes—she didn't, of course, because that would be rude. And Weiss hated rudeness, despite being rather brusque herself. "I can tell by the look on your face that you're annoyed with how much I've brought that up."

"Really?" Ruby held both her cheeks, looking down in embarrassment. "I didn't mean to—well, you have been saying it a lot… ugh, I'm sorry."

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry." Weiss smiled warmly at Ruby. She reached out and brushed the hair out of her lover's eyes to get a clearer look at face. "I'm being a sentimental fool today, thinking back on everything we've gone through. I can't seem to stop...

"You already know this, but before coming to Beacon, I was nothing more than a caged bird forced to sing. They called me the nightingale of Atlas… a song bird trapped in a gilded cage, a spectacle for the eyes, my wings clipped before I even learned to fly. Then, to stave off the boredom and crushing loneliness, I made use of my personal library, which was filled to the brim with tomes from every corner of the world. I looked for all the answers in what I've read, secretly waiting for my life to change. But books can't replace real life knowledge… I never thought I would make it, to be honest.

"I was overconfident in my abilities and failed to see my shortcomings. The freedom that was thrust upon me was too much, too soon. So I retreated back into my cage—my safe haven—and locked myself behind those familiar bars. But then you came along and freed me. You broke my cage, set it on fire, and forced me to come face to face with the world I had turned my back on. You made me open my eyes.

"I saw the world for what it was… the dissonance that plagued it… yet with you, nestled in your warm embrace, I found harmony. I found peace.

"When we leave Beacon, my life as a student ends. I'll be spearheaded towards the top; my father's war will become mine. And soon I'll have no choice but to live my life in the moral grey area… straddling the thin line between good and evil. I'll be forced to do unspeakable things to good, innocent people and all in the name of the SDC and posterity…"

Weiss took a deep breath in and exhaled, her eyes closed in a moment of deep thought. Ruby watched her wearily, feeling both glee and apprehension. She was parched, her mouth drier than a Vacuo desert during the summer, but Weiss was her oasis. All she needed to do was reach out and take a sip to make everything better again.

"But with you, I might be able to hold onto my beliefs and keep a shred of hope and honour tucked away in my heart. As long as I you're beside me, keeping me warm at night, I may yet keep my soul. You are the light of my life, Ruby, my single greatest treasure." Weiss got down on one knee, reaching into her back pocket as she descended. In the palm of her right hand was a small velvet box with the Schnee family emblem on the lid. She flicked it open with her thumb, revealing a surprisingly simple silver band with a modest diamond. "Like this ring, so simple and pure, I offer you my heart and my sword. Whatever may come, I will stay with you at the ready, poised to strike at any who wish you harm. I will forevermore be stalwart and loyal, even if only to you, this I promise."

Ruby clamped both hands over her mouth, tears freely falling as the weight of Weiss' proposal hung on her shoulders.

"Ruby Rose, will you marry me?"

"… no."

* * *

 **I have something special in the works for this piece and I'm so excited to finally be able to share it with you all. I'd also like to point out something fun while I have the chance to. Look at the final two lines of this chapter. Does it remind you of anything? No? Well, go check out my profile and read "Where You Rightfully Belong". I'm serious. Go. Review that. Tell me I'm pretty or something.**

 **Please remember to drop a review if you enjoyed it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Better Late than Never**

* * *

 **Twenty-Two Years Later**

* * *

"… and up next, hailing from the snowy peaks of Atlas, a first year team that's as cool as they are cold—seriously they were totally freezing when they got here—Team ZFRE (Sapphire)!" Professor Nora Valkyrie announced exuberantly. "At the front of the pack we have their leader Zonya Zeigler, to her left Fiora M'lon, and behind them we have the muscle of the team, Rokly Hanagan! Aaaand last but not least, team ZFRE's ace with the giant bleeping mace, Escalibear— _really_? Am I reading this right? Holy taco, I am! _Woof_."

Beside her sat a stoic Professor Lie Ren who could do nothing more than sigh at his wayward partner. "Nora, you don't need to shout. And don't tease our guests."

"Sorry, Ren. But enough about that hoo-haw; I'm so amped! Their leader is a dustcraft prodigy! She's also heralded as her year's number one in a singles tournament style match up. But don't think her team let's her do all the work. They're all top contenders with amazing teamwork and funky fresh style."

Ren blinked slowly but recovered quickly enough to avoid stalling the match. "Funky… _fresh_? Nora, I… well whatever the case, it's a good thing they're facing another first year team that's equally praised here at Beacon."

"Praised? You mean infamous, Renny," Nora corrected, rolling her eyes.

The automated floating cameras sponsored by big time news outlets zoomed in from all sides of the field and panned to the members of Team ZFRE in a wide rotating arc. The teenagers waved to the crowd, the boys excited to showcase their amazing weapons while the girls maintained a proper air of decorum. But their screen time was prematurely cut short by the deafening screech of an electric guitar resonating from the other side of the stadium. The cameras quickly changed focus and darted across the arena to get the first glimpse of Beacon's all-star team.

Everyone went deathly silent, watching and waiting patiently as a lone womanly figure stepped forward, bathed in the shadows casted by the stage entrance. A soft but spritely piano riff could be heard steadily increasing in volume as she drew closer to the light.

"Let's up the tempo, losers!" the shrouded woman exclaimed surprising everyone in their seats.

Bright violet lights sparked to life all across the speaker's clothing, her voluptuous body illuminated by an ethereal glow that made her fans scream even louder as their idol strutted confidently to the stage carrying her signature guitar-poleaxe, Prima Belladonna.

The music changed drastically with the addition of a heavy electronic accompaniment and bass. A full section of the stadium lit up like the night sky as the people seated there began to cheer excitedly, waving white and purple glow sticks in time with the stellar bass line.

"What's my name, losers?!" the starlet screamed, her voice picked up and amplified by her high-tech headset.

"Noire! Noire! Noire!" her fans screamed back hysterically, their glow sticks all shimmying in unison.

"What was that? I can't hear you!" Noire laughed, soaking in all the good energy being sent her way.

"Noire! Noire! Noire!" the fans chanted even louder, stomping their feet like a herd of wild animals.

Nora blew a raspberry into her microphone, boisterously laughing her head off. "Can this girl be any less extra? Seriously. Tone it down, Noire! You're making _me_ look boring!

"Baah, who cares about Ms. Glowy-pants, give it up for the rest of Team VBRN (Vibrant) everybody—they're the quiet people following ten feet behind Noire pretending not to know her in case anyone was curious."

"Nora!" Ren groaned in exasperation.

Following far, far, _far_ behind the extravagant woman were her three uneager teammates: Vermillion "Leo" Schnee, Blanc "Kasper" Schnee, and Rouge (Pronounced "Rogue") Belladonna.

Vermillion glowered angrily at her subordinate but sternly held her head high as team VBRN's proud leader, despite having Noire purposely trying and succeeding to upstage her. She was a Schnee, a thoroughbred like her sister and her mother and all the Schnees that came before her.

The diva leading the march sashayed towards center stage, her hips swaying hypnotically with her armoured tail bobbing to the beat behind her. When the rest of team VBRN reached her, the brightly lit young woman tapped a button on her cat-eared headset and lowered the volume down till only a trickle of noise eked out of her amplifier tassets. Noire then waved a perfectly manicured hand at the stupefied team across from hers with a wide toothy grin on her face that showed off her pearly white teeth and fangs.

"Noire Belladonna," she said, introducing herself in a sultry voice that tingled the senses. "I know, I know, it's a pleasure to meet me, but no autographs until after the match."

Noire winked at the enemy team and blew them a kiss making her more humble teammates groan out loud. The men of team ZFRE blushed and faltered, scrambling over each other to catch Noire's drifting eyes. This drew in the ire of their female counterparts, raising the level of hostility between both teams. But Noire seemed hardly if at all phased by this and laughed wickedly at their plight.

Standing ever vigilant beside Noire was her stalwart white knight, Blanc, who wasn't too impressed by her mistress' antics.

"Noire, manners," Blanc chided her partner softly. The catty teen clicked her tongue and flipped her hair annoyance. "This match is being broadcasted all across Remnant," Blanc carefully went on to remind her. "Don't go overboard."

"No duh," Noire snarled, rolling her gleaming red eyes. "But I'll play nice since it was you who asked me to, darling."

"If you two are done being gross, I'd like to get this show on the road!" Vermillion Schnee shouted impatiently as she marched out of Blanc's impressive shadow. She stopped mid-stride to shoot a nasty glare over at Noire, forcing the younger but much taller teen to concede before she could even utter a word in complaint. In true Schnee fashion, Vermillion threw in a casual threat to punctuate her words. "And I better not hear another word from you for the rest of this match or so help me I will end you personally!"

Vermillion adjusted her peaked hat and continued onward to her opponents, holding her head high and proud. She stopped in front of Zonya and squared her shoulders, straightening her back as she held her hand out in welcome.

"Vermillion Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company and proud leader of team VBRN," she said using her well-practiced business voice. "It is an honor to meet you, my esteemed comrade in arms."

Zonya looked down at the little girl talking to her, shaking her hand in a show of good faith without letting her opinions slip out. After the greeting, Vermillion curtsied and headed back to her side of the arena where Noire was harassing her twin sister.

"What did I say about speaking, Noire?" Vermillion tasked through tightly gritted teeth.

Noire looked down at her with a cocky grin and said, "Not to?"

"Precisely! So what are you doing?"

"Discussing some last minute strategy with my amazing sister," Noire responded cheekily. Vermillion arched an eyebrow at Rouge who quickly shook her head. "Okay, fine. _That_ was a lie."

"Get your curly head in the game," Vermillion ordered. "We're here representing the SDC, so let's try and make their complete and utter defeat look good."

"Don't get your lacy panties in a bunch, princess. It'll be over in like half a minute if we're feeling nice," Noire snickered as she pirouetted away from Rouge. "I'll do the smashy-smashy. Rouge does her ninja thing. And Kassanova stands guard while you light up the stage with a mushroom cloud."

Blanc blushed. "Kassanova?"

"Tell the whole world our plans why don't you," Rouge muttered darkly under her breath, her cybernetic bodysuit bristling in tandem with her temper.

"Both teams have exchanged greetings," Ren said through the stadium speakers. "Now let's see what terrain they get."

"I hope it isn't Atlas; I didn't bring my coat." Nora shivered at the thought. "I can already see it."

Ren looked at his co-host oddly. "That's because the terrain selector picked a snowy mountain area and a dense forest clearing."

"Oh, well then, it's GG for one of the teams," Nora laughed. "Hey Ren, can teachers bet on who wins?"

"Nora," Ren said calmly, "I don't think that's a topic we should be discussing here, nor is it ethical to place bets on an exhibition match."

"Buuut you didn't say 'no'!"

"Nora!"

Noire leaned on her partner's arm and chuckled at the bickering married couple pictured on the holo-screen. "Prof. Valk's betting on us isn't she, babe?"

"Hn," Blanc nodded.

"Moving right along," Professor Lie Ren said, clearing his throat, "the match will start on the count of three."

"Too slow! Three, two, one, punch each other's faces off!" Nora screamed without pause into her microphone, slamming her hand repeatedly onto the fight buzzer.

Noire stepped forward and winked at Blanc playfully, eager to be the first one to draw blood. Twirling her massive guitar-poleaxe between her nimble fingers like it weighed nothing, Noire eyed the weakest member of ZFRE's hard hitting team.

"So Fiora," Noire called out, "is that toothpick your actual weapon?"

Fiora broke formation at the obvious jibe and yelled, "It's a rapier!"

Blanc saw the opening Noire created and immediately jumped into action. She drew out her sword and shield, initiating their transformation sequence once they were freed from her backplate's magnetic hold. The weapons unfolded from their dormant state revealing their true forms to the astonished crowd with their intricate design.

Using her large shield as a stand, the white-haired young adult raised her gunblade and aimed it at Fiora who was too busy taunting Noire to notice. Smirking at the amateur move made by her opponent, Blanc pulled the trigger and fired an ear-splitting round that cut through the air. Rokly, at the cost of an eighth of his aura reserves, intercepted the high-caliber bullet with the broad face of his sword; a brave move team VBRN collectively respected.

"Fiora, get serious!" Rokly shouted angrily at the shell-shocked girl. "Those two might be celebrities in Atlas, but here they're huntresses first and foremost."

"R-Right!" Fiora stuttered, readying her rapier. "Thanks for the save, bro."

"Kas, going gold already?" Rouge chuckled as she activated her face mask. Blanc said nothing to her teammate and readied her weapons. The sound of a cartridge loading in the shield made the cat-eared ninja grin. "This is what I love about you, cousin. You don't mince words."

"Team VBRN have some of the most eye-catching equipment I've ever seen," Nora said giddily as she ogled Blanc's impressive broadsword. "I've seen it in class so many times, but damn it never gets old! Oh and be careful, because that sword? Yeah, it's also a gun. A really, really big gun. Though team ZFRE probably figured that little tidbit out already."

"Team leader Zonya has a fairly unique weapon as well," Ren informed his bubbly cohort. "But the match up I'm most curious of is how both team captains will go about dealing with each other."

"Leo's a literal nuke and Zonya's more of a giant homing laser beam," Nora informed the crowd with matching hand gestures. "Not gonna lie, Ren!" Nora snorted obnoxiously. "But I think Leo's going to just blow both her team _and_ ZFRE out of the ring."

"I… I can see that happening as well," Ren chuckled nervously. He leaned closer to his mic and quickly added, "Please do show some restraint, Ms. Vermillion. Your mother donates a lot of money for this stadium."

Meanwhile in the ring, both teams were spread out unevenly in ZFRE's favour. Noire was trading blows with Escalibear and Rokly, the armoured speakers attached to her clothing blared a hard but catchy dance beat that she struck to. Blanc was busy defending her little sister from an onslaught of ruthless dust barrages from Zonya while simultaneously keeping Fiora's swift sword at bay. Rouge and her arsenal of long range weapons had hidden away in the dense foliage after her words with Blanc and hadn't appeared since.

Vermillion watched Zonya carefully. The girl was good with her dust, but she was better. Much better. It was only going to be a matter of time before victory was theirs, she just hoped she wasn't needed to finish it.

"Just give up now, Zonya!" Leo cackled haughtily as she crossed her arms and stood as tall as her tiny body would allow. Mental warfare was her go-to strategy when dealing with human opponents. Get under their skin, rile them up, then conquer exploiting the enemy's mistakes. "This match was over the moment you got pitted against us!"

"You sure do talk a lot for someone who hasn't lifted a finger!" Zonya smirked, sending a volley of ice spears hurtling towards Blanc. "Are you going to keep hiding behind big sister or are you actually going to fight?!"

"You're not too observant are you?" Vermillion asked with a lopsided smirk.

"Keep your eyes on me!" Blanc yelled as she activated her semblance and charged at Zonya.

The white knight crossed the distance between them in the blink of an eye, her shield crashing into the dust user's body without remorse. A flurry of white petals trailed after Blanc's cape, raining down on the straight path she took before blowing away and disappearing.

"And there we have it folks, Blanc Schnee's semblance 'flash step'!" Nora cheered along with the crowd. "If anyone ever wonders what its like to get hit by a train go ask Zonya, because that's exactly what happened!"

Zonya's aura took a massive dive bringing her deep into the yellow; one more hit was all it would take to knock her out of the match. But instead of going for the kill, Blanc retreated to her sister's side, sword and shield raised in defence. Zonya looked on in a daze wondering how she was still in the match when a hand gently touched her shoulder. She looked up and saw Fiora by her side.

"Hey partner," Zonya grinned weakly. "What took you?"

"The big one kept me locked in her sights," Fiora said. "Those bullets are no joke; don't get hit by one."

Fiora glared at the Schnee siblings as she helped Zonya to her feet. Vermillion was still grinning like she had won the entire match singlehandedly while Blanc remained on guard. The little girl with dark red hair had no right to be lording over them just because Blanc got a lucky hit in. It made her sick to see a leader do nothing to help her team.

"Fiora, I know that look on your face," Zonya said wheezing between ragged breaths. "The brat's trying to goad us into taking her head on. And as long as the big one is there we won't be able to get to her without taking heavy damage, but that also means she's locked down and unable to defend herself."

"What do we do then?" Fiora asked her leader. Zonya had never once let their team down even when the odds were against them. Fiora had nothing but faith that Zonya's brilliance would come through for them.

Meanwhile, Zonya looked over to the mountain side where Escalibear and Rokly were struggling to hold their ground against the seductive siren. Noire was dancing to her music as she swung her fully transformed poleax, blocking and deflecting everything thrown at her with ease. The raven haired beauty wasn't even trying to attack which made Zonya even angrier.

"Face it, you aren't going to win!" Vermillion bellowed.

Fiora felt something inside of her snap. Her family had taught her that victory was done with grace and dignity. A quick glance at the aura scoreboard made her heart break. Her two teammates fighting the bright one were slowly getting beaten down while their opponent's stayed a healthy green. Zonya's was the lowest which was a terrible thing to have so early in the match; she was their ace. The only one with their aura fully intact was Fiora and compared to the burly brothers, Rokly and Escalibear, she was a glass cannon.

There was no way they could match up against team VBRN. Two of them weren't even trying and the third had disappeared—a gunshot rang out from somewhere within the trees. Fiora felt the bullet before she heard it, slumping sideways into Zonya's petrified arms out cold. A look of utter terror crossed her face when another shot went off and the announcers declared both Fiora's and Rokly's end.

It was now just her and Escalibear.

"And there we have it folks! With a stunning display of superhuman strength, Noire Belladonna has singlehandedly defeated the mighty Escalibear!" Nora cheered, hyping up the audience with her perpetually upbeat voice. "This is why you don't mess with a girl's hair!"

Zonya was holding onto Fiora's unconscious body for dear life when Noire slowly turned around, her angry blood red eyes sending a chill down Zonya's spine. The music blasting from her speakers changed from a happy tune to a heavy instrumental. A bead of sweat rolled down Zonya's cheek as Noire took a step towards her.

"Is this it for Team ZFRE?!" Ren exclaimed anxiously sitting on the edge of his seat.

 _Bang_

Zonya slammed her eyes shut praying that the sniper would take her out before the red eyed monster could take her.

"Noire Belladonna is out of the match!" Ren shouted into his microphone. "Shot in the back by her own sister no less. I wonder what she did to anger her twin this time?"

"I don't know, Ren," Nora said. "But if I was Zonya, I'd be thankful. Not a lot can take that rabid cat out once she's activated her semblance. I wonder what the dust prodigy will do now that she's up against three people alone."

Vermillion clicked her tongue in disdain. She hated it when Noire literally lost her cool and set the stage on fire. Looking at her fellow leader, Leo shook her head and walked over her. She placed a hand on Zonya's shoulder and offered her a knowing, sad smile. The Atlesian student looked up at the Schnee heiress confused by the sudden change in her demeanour.

"What do you want to do?" Vermillion asked solemnly.

"I…" Zonya gulped.

"You can't take on all three of us," the heiress continued. "I'd offer to duel you, but my fighting style isn't suited for closed off spaces like this. I'd destroy the stage and knock us both out at the same time. You can also try dueling Rouge or Blanc, but… we've already seen what they can do."

Zonya looked at the blue eyed girl comforting her and hung her head in defeat. "I surrender."

"Alright," Vermillion said in understanding. "Your team fought well."

* * *

"Wow, that was something else! Those girls sure are strong," the bartender commented with an impressed whistle as he wiped down a glass. "What did you think?"

Sitting across from him was a red hooded huntress surrounded by empty glasses. Her silver eyes roamed around the bar in a lazy, alcohol induced haze. She didn't see anyone else in the Crowbar but her, so she said, "You call that a fight?"

"Well… yeah? I thought they were pretty evenly matched," the bartender said with a frown.

"Hah! Don't make me laugh," she snorted. "That? That was a sheep stuck in a lion's den. Those Atlas kids were out matched and out classed."

The bartender set the clean glass down with the rest and hummed in thought. "But they're both first years."

"Yeah and your point is?"

"That they both still have plenty left to learn?"

"Really? Because from what I saw the big white one and her noisy girlfriend could have ended that match in less than a minute if they weren't buying their sniper some time," the huntress explained sardonically. "But that tiny one, the mini-Schnee, she's the scariest one of them all. Didn't you see the giant glyph on the floor? Little shit was getting ready to blow the entire stage up if things went sour for them."

The hooded stranger watched the bartender pick up another glass to wipe down in lieu of a response. She smirked, relishing the uneasiness riddling him. It was easy to tell that the bartender was wracking his brain trying to recall if he had seen the same thing she did. Looking dryly at the old clock hanging on the bar wall, the cloaked huntress considered whether or not she wanted another drink. There was still plenty of time before her reason for being in Vale arrived and she hated the idea of sobering up before then. But just as she decided to get one, the roar of an airship passing by interrupted her.

"Thirty minutes early, typical." The huntress grunted as she got off her stool. The alcohol hit her like a rock and she swayed on her feet, but years of practice kept her upright. "What's the damage, chief?" she asked the bartender. "Wait, here, just keep the change." She pulled out her money, not caring whether it was enough or too much, and slapped it down on the wood. "Thanks for putting up with my stupid drunk ass for so long, peace."

The huntress readjusted her red hood to protect her bloodshot eyes from the sun and quickly left the bar, following doggedly after the pristine white airship.

* * *

 **I've had this chapter in the works for about a year now. I'm sure you've noticed the parallels between Ruby's introduction and Qrow's, because I fully intended this scene to play out exactly the same way. With that in mind, you can fully imagine how Weiss and Ruby's next meeting will proceed without waiting for the next chapter.**

 **Now that this steaming pile of shit is out in the open I can finally move on to the scenes I've been dying to write. Ruby declining Weiss' proposal made people upset, but what nineteen-year-old wants to get married to a person they're having second thoughts about? Ruby was bored with her seemingly perfect relationship. Tie this to the plot point in Nature's Wrath where Ruby expresses her listlessness to Yang.**

 **The difference between Choices!Ruby and NW!Ruby is their maturity. NW had a star struck Ruby who would do anything and everything for Weiss, while Choices has a Ruby who had more time to adjust and discover herself…**

 **Choices is about, well, choices and how we're forced to live with them. And the biggest part of making a hard decision is the regret we tend to feel after.**

 **Weiss goes on to live a perfect life, while Ruby trudges through it trying to block out the life she could have lived.**

 **Welcome to the Sharkyverse where all the roads cross but never overlap. But, uh, what the hell happened to Yang's back?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Bullet with Your Name**

* * *

Ruby weaved through the waves of excited students gathering around the lavish SDC airship like a ghost. She drifted in and out, a mere flicker of light or trick of the eye, her body never once grazing another's despite her inattention. Ruby's eyes, much like the students surrounding her, were dead set on the regal woman exiting the vessel with a colourful ginger haired woman lagging two steps behind.

"Penny?" Ruby dared to breathe out. She hadn't seen the quirky girl since they were, well, girls. But Ruby didn't have time to dwell on past relations. She was on a mission after all.

Weiss looked absolutely stunning from where Ruby stood. Her signature long white hair shined like diamonds, shimmering and dancing in the sunlight as individual strands caught the wind. Using her years of modelling experience, Weiss strutted down the ramp like a runway. Her smooth, long legs carried her forward with a preternatural grace that drew in all the attention making it nearly impossible to focus on her equally flawless face or body.

Ruby was going cross-eyed trying to take everything in. Or was that the alcohol at work? She didn't know.

The whispers were at an all time high as the woman reached the bottom of her airship's drop ramp. Ruby could pick out certain bits and pieces of conversation here and there, most of which commenting on the esteemed guest's fabulous hair and attire.

Ruby rolled her eyes. Nothing had changed.

Slipping past a particularly stubborn group, Ruby noticed the crowd had given way to four colourfully dressed huntresses. She instantly recognized them as team VBRN and smiled. Despite her nonchalance in the bar, Ruby was quite familiar with the girls and their many accomplishments. A swell of pride bloomed in Ruby's chest when she saw her nieces walking with their heads held high. It had been years since she'd last seen them; Yang's yearly holiday card didn't do the girls' growth justice. However, the joy she felt was snuffed out when her eyes roamed over to the stoic Schnee siblings marching diligently towards their mother.

Ruby quietly feared that Weiss had chosen to fall back on what she'd personally grown up with and applied the same techniques to raise her own children. The girls were like marble statues in every appearance they made alongside Weiss. They didn't interact or give away any subtle cues that showed a warm, loving family. It made them seem aloof and distant, another mark to the long tally of emotionally stunted Schnees.

"Mama!" Vermillion Schnee's voice cut through the crowd as she threw away decorum and ran to her mother.

Ruby's eyes widened in surprise. This was not what she expected.

Gathering her scattered wits like marbles, Ruby began weaving through the crowd to get a closer look and listen in. Her heart was pounding painfully against her ribcage, the sound almost louder than the deafening as the ruckus around her.

"Hello little lion," Weiss said, greeting her youngest child with a smile as Vermillion tackled her with a hug. She took the girl's hat off before it could fall and stroked her hair fondly as Vermillion nuzzled into her embrace. Blanc approached Weiss more respectfully but melted when the older woman caressed her cheek. "And hello to you as well my not-so-little knight."

"Hello mother," Blanc purred. "How was your flight?"

Worried that Blanc could spot her, Ruby instinctively took a step back to blend in with the crowd. Her shoulder collided with another who scoffed angrily and shoved her. The urge to retaliate bubbled up for a brief instant, but Ruby quickly reigned in the impulse and kept her head respectfully bowed low to avoid further detection. The stranger, an obvious Beacon student, muttered a silent warning and went back to admiring the Goddess among them.

Ruby decided to leave things be. _'Pray you aren't in my class, asshole.'_

"Tiring as always," Weiss replied wearily. She looked at the other half of VBRN and gestured for them to come closer. "Your parents wanted to be here but last minute business threw a wrench in her plans; you'll have to make do with me I'm afraid."

"It's all good," Noire chuckled humorously. "We got a message—

"—from them last night saying so," Rouge cut in.

"And we received another just now—"

"—congratulating us on our _near_ flawless victory."

"Oh give it a rest, _Rouge_!" Noire grumbled.

"It's pronounced 'Rogue'!" her sister roared.

"Rouge, rouge, rouge!" Noire chanted mockingly.

Weiss stared quizzically at the identical twins, her mouth moving to say something that Ruby couldn't hear.

The Schnee family broke apart when Penny approached them and whispered into Weiss' ear. Ruby could see her old friend's green eyes staring in her general direction. Worry slipped across Ruby's face as she deftly ducked behind a group hoping it was just a fluke, but to her dismay and utter horror, Penny's eyes followed. Weiss seemed calm and impassive from what Ruby could tell, so she hoped Penny hadn't ratted her out.

 _'C'mon Pen, don't do this to me,'_ Ruby prayed as she circled around. Her fellow redhead kept her gaze locked onto Ruby's position and Weiss seemed a little agitated. _'Please, Penny, I can't risk losing her again.'_

After her brief stint as a celebrity party girl, Weiss settled down and became Remnant's most reclusive billienaire. The woman never appeared without reason, and almost always followed by a horde of security and hungry reporters chasing her feet. And not to sound like an overly attached ex-girlfriend, but Ruby practically lived on the mountain overlooking Weiss' lofty estate and the only people she ever saw enjoying its many luxuries were her children, their friends, and any guests lucky enough to be invited in. Weiss was like a ghost—hell, she even looked like one dressed the way she was if it wasn't for the pearly blue colours accentuating her long flowing dress.

Weiss' gaze hardened as Penny pulled away and politely smiled. Vermillion had latched herself onto her mother's arm, hugging her without a care in the world as her older sister watched over them protectively. It was rather funny seeing the petite CEO Ruby once knew standing next to a girl much shorter than her. And even without the frighteningly tall heels Weiss wore to intimidate her peers, the redheaded lion was still shorter than her mother.

The lighthearted jokes at the expense of the Schnee family's diminutive stature was halted when a bolt of icy energy cleaved through the crowd, aimed directly at Ruby. Surprise was etched on her face for only a fraction of a second when the icicle pierced the seam of her thick cloak, exploding into a fine mist of snow upon contact. The red fabric fanned out in a magnificent display, the hood blowing back, as the icy wind pushed past her. Ruby stood stock still in a fresh pile of snow, her nose crinkling as the chill bit into her.

"Aunt Ru—" Noire was abruptly cutoff and dragged away by her more tactful half.

Ruby gave her nieces a subtle nod and made a wordless promise to greet them properly at a later time. The sadistic diva quickly caught on and waved her favourite aunt a swift hello and goodbye as she and her sister disappeared into the crowd. She truly missed the girls, but she had more important things to deal with at the moment.

"Talk about a cold reception," Ruby grumbled as she shook off the white powder clinging stubbornly to the thick leather of her black boots. Ruby thanked her foresight when she left her hotel room today. It was always a good idea to dress warmly when addressing a Schnee.

Weiss faced her with a gloved hand raised high from conjuring the icy wave. Her glacial blue eyes hardened in recognition as she slashed her hand back down, sending another blisteringly cold wind flying towards Ruby.

"Hoo boy, at least no one can say you're full of hot air, your majesty," Ruby chuckled as she bowed theatrically.

"What are you doing here?" the Ice Queen asked, her tone colder than the snow filling the frills of Ruby's shirt collar.

"On a super secret mission, why?" Ruby sauntered over the beautifully dressed woman with all the grace her drunken swagger could muster. "You have something planned for me?"

Blanc circled around her mother and stood in front of her, sword and shield drawn. "Step back," the young woman growled. Ruby quirked her eyebrow and smirked as she took another daring step forward. "Do not make me repeat myself."

"You're too slow, Kasper." Ruby grinned when the girl bristled at the familiar name. "You'll never catch me."

Having enough of the mockery happening before her, Vermillion pushed past her giant of a sister and marched towards Ruby with a dogged determination. She stopped in front of the older redhead with a loud click of her heels as she glared up at her. Ruby fought the urge to laugh at the menacing little girl and recalled her uncle telling a similar story of when he first met Weiss.

"Who are you and what is your purpose here?" Vermillion asked her, the shrill tone reminiscent of her mother's during her teenage years.

Ruby struggled to maintain her aloof demeanour as she looked down at the girl who held a striking resemblance to herself. She had dreamed of this exact moment and after so many years of waiting and watching, it finally happened. Ruby never thought she'd live to see it. Vermillion was finally in front of her and it was taking literally everything she had not to kneel down and pull the girl into her arms, embrace her, and never let her go. But there was no familiarity in her eyes and that hurt Ruby more than the hate burning in Blanc's as the armoured huntress stalked towards them.

"Step away from my sister," Blanc hissed as she pulled the small redhead back by the collar.

"Ugh—wha—Blanc, unhand me!" Vermillion screeched. "You big brute! How dare you handle me like a child in front of our mother!"

Worry crossed both Ruby's and Blanc's eyes as the heiress struggled. Ruby knew the white-haired swordswoman knew the truth and worried the young Schnee knew as well. A quiet truce befell the warring reaper and knight, distance needed to be applied before Vermillion's world shattered.

Ruby felt it before she heard it but she was impressed by the strength Blanc's shield arm carried. The tempered steel wall slammed into Ruby's body so hard the kinetic force sent her skidding to a halt several feet away.

She wheezed out in agony as stars swirled around her head. "Shit, you really do hit like a train!" Ruby coughed and sputtered but beamed with pride. "I think I ruptured my everything."

"Take it as your final warning," Blanc spat. "Now stay down or you'll see what I can really do."

Ruby flashed her a shaky grin, blood seeping through her teeth as she spat out a particularly nasty wad of mucus and spit. "Easy there, I didn't come for a fight!" she said struggling to get back to her feet. A warm trickle dribbled down her chin followed by a throbbing pain dashed across her lip. _'Great,'_ she thought miserably, _'She split my lip.'_

The towering knight frowned at the docile drunk staggering in front of her, disappointed by the lack of fight on Ruby's end.

"I really do have business here at Beacon," Ruby slurred.

"I highly doubt that," Weiss scoffed not sparing her old teammate a second glance. "Blanc, don't waste your energy. Fall back in line and let's move on, my time here grows short."

"Understood mother," Kasper responded happily as she picked her sister up and threw her over her shoulder. "And you need to learn how to behave, feisty pants," she said, stomping towards an equally agitated Weiss.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever…" the little lion grumbled. However, her surrender was only a ruse intended to placate her mother and sister.

Vermillion set her sights on the old crimson huntress dramatically hacking up a lung. She examined the disheveled woman from head to toe. Stupidity did not run in her family and neither did blatant ignorance. She knew the similarity was too uncanny to be a fluke. It explained why she didn't look like her sister or her mothers and so many other things that set her apart from the noble Schnee lineage. The dark red hair, the same unique shade as hers, was also a dead give away. Being her mother's heiress gave Vermillion access to many of the reclusive CEO's secrets, but this hooded stranger seemed to be both the key and the lock to the mysteries of her existence. There was no longer a shred of doubt in her mind; her mother's wife was not her sire.

Vermillion sighed at the disgraceful truth and looked away.

Ruby let out the breath she'd been holding since her discovery and visibly sagged on the spot. She tiredly reached into one of the many utility pouches strapped across her chest and pulled out an old silver flask. The outside was frosted over giving its owner a little shock when her fingers touched the surface. Ruby quickly uncapped it and brought the rim to her parched lips, eager to sate her thirst. The perfectly chilled amber liquid flowed down her throat like smooth velvet, the taste oaky yet sweet like honey.

After drinking her fill, Ruby smacked her lips and recapped her uncle's most treasured possession. He had given it to her on his deathbed several years ago, begging that she didn't make the same mistake he did. Ruby didn't know what to say to him then. She knew that Qrow loved her mother deeply, but he suffered from the same wanderlust she was afflicted with and drove Summer into the arms of another. It was relatively the same in her case save for one glaring difference: Qrow got to be there for her.

He got to raise her and help her grow into the woman she was now. He got to be her father even if she didn't know it… but Ruby wasn't that lucky. She had to watch someone raise her daughters with Weiss faithfully by their side. It hurt more than any wound she'd ever felt to know that she could only see Blanc's smile through the scope of her sniper rifle; Vermillion's first steps and every important event in her life after that were experienced the same deplorable way.

Ruby also remembered how breathtaking Weiss looked on her wedding as she stuffed her father's flask back into its case. A wry smile graced her bruised lips as she recalled every detail in stunning clarity. Her trigger finger flexed on instinct the same way it did that day. All she had to do was squeeze it and Weiss would have been hers forever. But she didn't. Or rather she couldn't. Weiss had smiled so brilliantly at her soon-to-be spouse and Ruby lost all nerve. Now she wore that bullet with Weiss' name engraved on it around her neck. And instead of gunpowder, a small slip of paper filled it.

"She was happy to see you," Penny quipped, popping up behind the marksman.

Ruby was too drunk to be surprised. "Was she?" she asked turning to face her old friend.

"I sensed an elevated change in her heartrate and her voice was an octave higher than usual," Penny answered.

"Well, that's a win in my book I guess," Ruby grumbled, still reeling from the pain.

Penny squinted her eyes suspiciously at Ruby. "Kasper hit you using an eighth of her strength. The damage inflicted to your person suggests a preexisting injury compounded onto the strike. What ails you, friend?"

"This rose is about ready to wilt," Ruby answered darkly. "Good ol' Jauney offered me a job here and I intend to take it. I'm getting too old to play super hero, Pen."

"Weiss will not be happy about this," Penny muttered, split between her loyalties.

Ruby shrugged. "What's the harm? I'm a stranger to them," she said. "And when has Weiss ever been happy?"

"When she was with you," Penny replied instantly. "She's still mourning, Ruby… please, now is not the best time to pursue her."

"I'm out of time as is," Ruby said weakly. "The next time my chance rolls around I'll probably be six feet under or decomposing somewhere in the forest like dear old dad."

Penny's frown deepened as Ruby waved her off nonchalantly.

"Anyway, like I told your boss," Ruby drawled, "I have business to attend to."

"Oh Ruby," the automaton sighed, "what happened to you?"

"Life," the crimson clad huntress stated with a cheeky grin the old crow could be proud of.

Ruby turned her back to her old friend and tossed her hood up over her head. Once her face was shrouded, Ruby dropped her fake smile and slowly began her trek to the familiar grand halls of Beacon Academy.

The walk to her former home was done with an automatic ease. She didn't have to look up to know how close she was to her destination, the subtle change on the worn pavement compared to the temporary fair grounds told her she was halfway there. Memories of her quiet walks with Weiss flooded her brain, drowning her inebriated consciousness in the sickeningly sweet sea of torrid afterthoughts.

Ruby felt violently ill.

Her stomach churned, the liquid courage she imbibed no longer sitting right with her. Bile rose up but Ruby swallowed it back down with a grimace.

The memories continued to flow in one after another at a such a ridiculous speed the images began to blur.

 _Weiss smiling at her as they crossed the courtyard holding hands._

 _Weiss fretting over her when she tripped and scraped her knee._

 _Weiss pouring over a text book as she dutifully followed behind her carrying a stack of research material._

 _Weiss frowning at her childish antics but secretly loving every moment of it._

 _Weiss hugging her._

 _Weiss holding her hand._

 _Weiss kissing her._

 _Weiss with her._

 _Weiss._

 _Weiss._

 _Weiss._

 _Weiss._

"… _**no."**_

 _Weiss holding back her tears as she looked for an answer to where she'd gone wrong._

 _Weiss walking away for good._

Ruby couldn't hold it any longer and activated her semblance. Her feet instantly took her to the closest trash receptacle, the heady smell of roses masking the stench of garbage and whatever was spilling out of her mouth. She remained hunched over the bin long after the dry heaving stopped. It would've been awful if she walked away and had another fit.

 _'Memo to self, chimichangas do not taste as good going up as it did going down,'_ Ruby groaned in agony as if she were proving her own point.

"Oh not you again!" Blanc's annoyed voice exclaimed. Ruby lifted her head up and swiveled it around, a sad trail of vomit lining the edge of her lips down to her chin. "Behind you, you bumbling buffoon!" the irritated knight shouted.

Ruby jumped in fright and turned to face the swordswoman. "What I do to piss you off now?!"

"Exist," Blanc stated coldly. Both Weiss and Ruby snorted at the snarky reply giving it a solid eight out of ten. "And what exactly is so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing. You're so much like your mommy it's funny," Ruby said as she wiped her chin clean using her sleeve. She then turned her attention to the beautifully dressed businesswoman and whipped out her flask, shaking it tauntingly in front of Weiss and her children. "Thanks for the deep chill, Ice Queen." Ruby uncapped the flask and took a hearty swig; she didn't want to deal with her ex-lover sober. "Ahh, refreshing."

"Disappointing as ever I see," Weiss breathed out with downcast eyes. "Qrow must be so happy to see his legacy continue on like this."

Ruby shrugged, "Eh, what can I say? It's a living."

"Is it really?" The CEO narrowed her eyes at Ruby, taking in her disheveled state fully. "You look like you just stepped out of the woods."

"That's because I did," Ruby grinned. "I totally fought a bear, you impressed?"

"Let me guess," Weiss said rolling her eyes, "you used your _bare_ hands to end its life as well."

"Fuck no! You crazy?" Ruby snorted as she casually leaned against the trash can. "Put a fifty cal. round through its head, right between the eyes!" She held up an imaginary rifle and stared through its scope, "One shot, one kill."

Weiss quirked a perfectly shaped brow in Ruby's direction. "I recall seeing a certain someone miss a stationary target during a field exercise once."

"Must've been the missus then," Ruby shrugged, imaginary rifle long forgotten. "Rotary guns are so inaccurate. Ten of hers for one of mine."

"Do not bring my wife into this," Weiss snarled.

"Speaking of that, sorry 'bout your loss," Ruby mumbled demurely surprising the three Schnees in front of her. "The funeral was really nice."

"Oh…" Weiss tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Tha—"

"But seriously, why be rich at all if you cheap out on the most important part? The catering totally—I totally wasn't there by the way."

"—nk you… ugh, why did I think you were capable of feeling anything other than selfishness," the CEO shook her head in disappointment.

"Dunno," Ruby drawled, her voice rich and husky. "You like to see the good in people. But, uh, y'know the short one hasn't said anything this entire time. Did her batteries run out or something?"

It wasn't a particularly glaring flaw or much of a company secret, but Vermillion Schnee had a troubling case of motor mouth when she wasn't in polite company; yet another intrinsic trait that set her apart. It was practically impossible to get her to stop once she started talking about something she was passionate about.

Vermillion squared her jaw and looked at the crimson huntress with a blank expression, her lips pulled tight into a deep frown. Just looking at Ruby made her sick. The messy hair, dirty clothes, and that god awful smell wafting around her like a miasma made the heiress want to throw up. She knew her mother had a lover in conjunction with her political marriage to the woman that raised her. She expected and hoped that someone was brave and gallant like her older sister, not some drunk that could barely stand on her feet. But Vermillion wasn't blind. There was a clear tension in the air whenever the stranger and her mother locked eyes.

The hooded drunkard wore a look of longing and humble acceptance underneath her cocky façade. The regret she carried on her shoulders was practically palpable and Vermillion felt half sorry for her. Her mother remained as aloof as ever though, the disinterested mask she wore was perfect enough to fool nearly everyone. But Vermillion could still see through it and if she could then Blanc was able to as well. Their mother was happy and both girls were at a loss on how to react.

Ruby shifted her weight nervously between her feet trying to get as comfortable as she could under the intense pressure of the threefold Schnee stare.

"So, uh… nice dress you got on," Ruby said pointing to the lavish gown Weiss wore. "Flee a fancy shindig or something?"

"I did actually." The CEO crossed her arms and scoffed at the compliment. "And yes, it is quite pretty but stifling. This collar practically feels like a noose."

"I can only imagine," Ruby mumbled. "How many layers of tulle does it take to make it look so wavy?"

"Enough," Weiss answered plainly.

The Weiss Schnee Ruby grew to love over the years had a simple aesthetic. She chose to let her natural beauty shine through and avoided anything too glamorous or inconvenient. Some of Ruby's favourite memories with Weiss were testing out the resistances of her specialized outfits in the shooting range. You can't say you've lived until you've seen fire retardant/bulletproof panties.

"Hey, strange question but is it—"

"Bulletproof?" The elegantly dressed woman smirked. "What type of idiot do you take me for, Ruby Rose? Care to try your hand at it?"

The challenge had been issued and Ruby couldn't back down. She reached into her cloak and pulled a large handgun out from a secret compartment and fired it once. The action had been so swift people only reacted to the deafening report. Weiss fumbled back from the force but quickly recomposed herself as if nothing had happened. She gingerly brushed off the nonexistent dirt clinging to her beautiful dress and smiled haughtily at Ruby.

"Whoa," the redhead whistled. "That's hot."

Blanc surged forward and grabbed a fistful of Ruby's shirt, scooping her up into the air with only one hand. "Are you insane?!"

"What?" Ruby laughed as she playfully wiggled her legs. "She dared me to."

"You could have killed her!" Blanc screamed.

"Sheesh, I definitely see the Branwen in you. So hot headed," Ruby continued to tease. "Her majesty was never in any real danger."

"Oh, I wholesomely disagree," the knight snarled in contempt. "You are a hazard to her health!"

"Funny, she said the exact same thing to me when we first met," Ruby quipped with a dreamlike sigh. "Good time, good times."

"I should—"

"Blanc, release her this instant!" Weiss commanded. The girl looked back in protest, but Weiss' stony gaze made her relent. "Good, now do it—" Blanc threw Ruby to the ground like a weightless ragdoll. "—gently… god damn it. Ruby are you okay?"

"Do I weigh anything to you?" Ruby groaned as she shakily stood up.

"Like a bag of grapes," Blanc sneered. The knight hesitantly looked at her irate mother and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Of course I am," she replied confidently. "A 9mm could never penetrate my aura let alone this dress."

"But that gun—"

"Is something I gave her personally," Weiss interjected. She directed her attention to the wobbly huntress sneaking a drink. "I'm surprised you kept it."

Pulling the flask away from her mouth, Ruby shrugged. "Where else can I get a gun that shoots confetti?"

"True," Weiss chuckled. "It's… good to see you again, Ruby."

"Likewise."

"Though I suppose it's time we get going, I wish to see some old friends. Come along children." Weiss held her head high and continued down the ornate path they stood on. But just before she passed Ruby, she whispered, "Meet me here at sundown."

Ruby smirked victoriously as she calmly watched her family walk away. _'Mission complete,'_ she thought to herself happily. _'But shit, I hope I didn't keep Jaune and Pyrrha waiting too long.'_

Readjusting her hood to fit snuggly on her head, Ruby began whistling a delightful little tune as she blended into the moving mass of tournament goers.

The song faded into background noise and Ruby was gone.

A scarlet tanager with vibrant red plumage and jet black wings flew up, its beautiful singing voice breaking through the cacophony as it soared towards Beacon's tallest spire.

* * *

 **It didn't take a year! Also, happy mother's day.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: A Good Time to Say Goodbye**

* * *

Weiss scanned her busy surroundings for a familiar red hooded mess. She'd been waiting at their meeting spot for five whole minutes with no sign of Ruby in sight. When the seventh minute rolled by, Weiss had to wonder if the drunk even heard her quiet request. It was wholly possible since this was Ruby Rose she was dealing with. Thinking further on the matter, Weiss nervously bit her thumbnail. Standing alone in a massive sea of festival goers made her feel vulnerable. Years of public scorn and hostile actions from the radicalist White Fang sect still out for Schnee blood, Weiss learned to fear for her life.

It was a sad reality she lived in. Because despite her fearsome strength against Grimm, Weiss couldn't risk staying out in public without her security detail for too long. Vermillion was still too young and naïve to claim her birthright. And Blanc's place was in the hearts of her adoring fans alongside Noire on center stage, not a boardroom filled with greedy old farts.

Weiss couldn't risk dying.

Not here.

Not now.

Not when her children still needed their mother.

"Where are you?" Weiss said to herself impatiently as she continued to pace about.

She was starting to really regret sending her children off. Blanc and Vermillion had offered to wait with her until their next match, but Weiss was adamant they take the time to properly rest instead. The girls agreed reluctantly, knowing it was futile to argue otherwise.

The sound of small beating wings caught the business woman's frayed attention. She curiously followed the noise and looked down. Perched quietly beside her on the railing was a beautiful red cardinal with a closed white rose held tightly in its beak. The bird hopped towards her and placed the flower down, adorably nudging it towards Weiss, its curious silver eyes watching everything the woman did. Weiss graciously accepted the gift and brought it to her nose, closing her eyes as she took in the comforting scent of her favourite flower.

"Sorry for being late," Ruby said apologetically.

Weiss slowly opened her eyes and looked to where the voice originated. The little tanager was gone and in its place was the ever cheeky Ruby Rose sitting haphazardly on the railing.

Smiling politely at her former companion, Weiss said, "Thank you for the gift, but you better have a good reason for making me wait."

"Not really," Ruby responded with a wry laugh. "Jaune wouldn't stop talking and showing me pictures of his kids. I lost track after the third one."

"I fell into the exact same trap the last time I visited him."

"You should have gotten him back with your own."

Weiss quirked an eyebrow at Ruby. "You think I didn't?" she asked pointedly. "He came at me with the estimated damage report from Vermillion's last attempt at a 'peaceful' argument resolution."

"I have that framed on my wall next to the one we got from our third year food fight," Ruby said, letting out a boisterous laugh as she rocked back and forth on the railing. "Oh! Speaking of Beacon staff, Pyrrha makes a great Glynda 2.0. It just kind of sucks that everything's made of metal now. Slammed my knee into a table earlier… it was not pretty."

"Was there crying involved as well?" Weiss asked smugly.

Ruby frowned and stuck her tongue out. "Nyeh!"

"So it was exorbitant amount of tears then," Weiss idly commented, mentally patting herself on the back for nailing the end of Ruby's story. The redhead begrudgingly hopped off of her perch and nodded, swaying on her feet from heel to toe like a dejected child. "By the way, what did you have to do here today?"

"Jaune wanted me to teach a couple new classes," Ruby answered with a weak grin. "You're talking to Professor Rose now."

"Congratulations are in order then," Weiss replied with a surprised gasp. "Shall we discuss it further over dinner?"

"Thought you'd never ask, your majesty."

As they walked to the Beacon docking bay, Weiss kept glancing over to her left where Ruby trailed one step behind. The woman looked dead on her feet which was a far cry from her usual energetic self. Ruby's long, messy unkempt hair that always stuck out in odd places was being surprisingly tame, weighed down by several days worth of dirt and grime no doubt. When was the last time Ruby showered? Weiss shuddered at the invasive thought; she really didn't want to know.

Another thing Weiss noticed about her friend was that her skin held a sickly pallor that made Weiss' own snowy flesh seem sun-kissed in comparison. And if that weren't enough to spur on Weiss' maternal instincts, judging by her hollowed cheeks and sunken eyes, Ruby hadn't had a proper meal in weeks—a real meal with nutritious vegetables, not just wild game she caught with whatever junk food she had on her person on the side.

"You're staring," Ruby said with a flirty smirk.

"I am but believe me, it isn't what you're hoping for. You look like shit," Weiss said, her terse tone betrayed by the concern evident in her eyes. "You're two years younger than me yet you don't look like it."

"Wow, bitch move, Ice Queen." The huntress turned professor sighed, "I'm just tired."

"Of what, living?" Weiss asked sarcastically.

"Yup," Ruby answered bluntly. Weiss didn't know what to say, luckily for her Ruby didn't care. "I'm just so tired of putting my life on the line for others… I want to focus on me for a bit. Ruby before some schmuck dumb enough to provoke an Ursa nest. D'you get what I mean?"

"O-Oh…" Weiss blushed, she'd been caught jumping to conclusions again. "Yes, I do."

"If I don't get out now, I probably never will," Ruby continued angrily. "I've missed out on so many things," like the calls Weiss and Yang sent her about legal parenting rights, "because someone somewhere else needed help."

"You always were the better person," Weiss said softly trying not to dwell on her own personal hang-ups. How many people had she sentenced to a life of poverty because of poor work performance? She'd long lost count, but the numbers were in the tens of thousands or at least nearing it.

"No," Ruby ran a frustrated hand through her hair and tilted her head back to laugh. "Helping people, hah! That's just a giant load of bull—an excuse I tell myself to justify what I do. I'm a coward, Weiss, always have been and always will be; that'll never change."

"That's not true," Weiss said adamantly. "You are one of the bravest people I know."

"Please, spare me the sappy pep talk, Weiss. I don't deserve it," Ruby growled in irritation. She'd heard that same speech half a dozen times already and it was getting on her nerves. "I turned down a once in a lifetime opportunity," _to marry you_ , "because I wanted more. And when I realized how stupid I was acting, I ran away instead of fessing up."

Weiss averted her eyes to hide the hurt she felt. Twenty-two long years and Ruby's rejection was still the single most painful experience in her life. The bullet that pierced through her aura and shattered her left shoulder beyond repair felt like a tiny paper cut in comparison.

A phantom pain seized Weiss' body when the memories of that horrific night passed. She self-consciously rubbed the junction separating her real flesh from the synthetic skin covering her mechanical arm, worried that Ruby would find out she was no longer whole.

On the outside it didn't look or feel any different from her real arm. It had a pulse, synthesized veins and capillaries that carried her blood, and artificial sensory nodules that mimicked sensations. She could feel everything, from the subtle pull in her ersatz muscles whenever she moved, to the scalding hot coffee her wife loved to drink every waking moment of the day. But no matter how authentic it looked it still wasn't real, so she never touched her children or her lover with it even though every synapse in her brain told her to use it as she normally would.

Coco's supportive words rang clear in her head whenever she felt this way, warming Weiss' heart and easing her pain like a soothing salve on a nasty burn. "You're beautiful," she'd say in a husky whisper with her lips brushing against Weiss' temple. "I'll let you in on a little secret, but you gotta promise to keep it between us, alright? Truth is, I love everything about you, even the parts that you hate. So if you can't bring yourself to love 'em, then I'll love 'em enough for the both of us."

"Hey, so, where are we going anyways?" Ruby asked, snapping Weiss out of her spiraling thoughts.

"We can take my airship down to Vale," Weiss replied in a hurry to salvage the conversation. She was still refusing to look Ruby's way, but the other woman didn't seem to notice or care. "I want real food, not that disgusting garbage they serve here."

"How dare you!" Ruby clumsily grabbed Weiss' left shoulder and gasped in horror when she looked back at her in a panic. "You take that back and apologize to the food stalls you insulted."

Every thought in Weiss' head screamed to tear that hand off of her deformed body and hide herself away in a place that Ruby couldn't reach. But obviously she couldn't do that since Ruby was three times faster than her on a rough day; she didn't want to imagine that pitiful chase scene.

"I-I guess this means you don't want to go to the all-you-can-eat buffet my hotel's famous for," Weiss said with a dramatic sigh, trying to play off her nervousness. "It's a shame, I was looking forward to their extensive desert menu."

"Weiss, stop. You had me at all-you-can-eat buffet."

"But what about the festival food stalls you love so much?" the CEO teased, falling back into the rhythm of things.

The redhead scoffed at the comment and said, "All. You. Can. Eat! Weiss, you're literally the best."

"I know I am, but thanks for the reminder," Weiss chuckled haughtily. "Now let's go."

* * *

The buffet was everything Ruby hoped for and more. It had seafood, meat, pastas, soups, salads—literally every delicious thing Ruby could list off the top of her head was there, even some of the not-so-delicious made an appearance, but that didn't matter as much to Ruby. She'd gladly eat a basket full of deep-fried beetles and grubs just as long as Weiss gave her her attention. It was strange though. How did all of her favourite dishes wind up on the menu of such a fancy establishment? It couldn't have been coincidence.

"Ruby, close your mouth," Weiss whispered. "People are starting to stare."

"Let them stare," Ruby mumbled blissfully. "I don't know what's more beautiful: you or this spread."

Weiss scoffed at the redhead and playfully pushed her. "Choose your next words carefully, Ruby Rose. This place isn't exactly cheap."

"You," Ruby barked obediently. "You. You. You!"

"Are you a bird or a dog?" Weiss teased as she led Ruby to paradise.

"I'll be whatever you want me to be as long as I get to eat everything," the starving huntress answered obediently.

" _Hey, isn't that Weiss Schnee?"_

" _Oh my gosh, it is!"_

" _Who's that?"_

" _Someone call security! The front desk let riffraff in again."_

" _Aren't they walking suspiciously close?"_

" _That red hair—gasp—it's the same shade the heiress has!"_

" _Wait, that's her real hair colour? I thought that shrill chiuhaha dyed it red to stand out, ahah!"_

" _Shh! Don't say that so loud!"_

Walking next to the gorgeously dressed Weiss Schnee, amidst Vale's upper crust in the city's most expensive banquet hall, Ruby and her dirty hunting clothes stuck out like a sore thumb. The other guests looked at her with mocking stares, laughing quietly behind a raised hand as they gossiped. It was like she was back in her late teens, accompanying Weiss to some extravagant soiree where the only nice people invited were the personal attendants.

"Relax, Ruby."

"Easy for you to say," the redhead muttered.

Weiss was handling the unwanted attention far better than Ruby was. Her movements were smooth and confident as she led Ruby around the buffet. She chose to calmly ignore all the rude comments about at her youngest daughter and focused on glaring at anyone stupid enough to insult Ruby within earshot. Vermillion was more than capable enough to handle the cruel things others said about her, she didn't need her mother jumping in to defend her every time someone said something distasteful.

Vermillion knew she was a cut above the rest. She was a true blooded Schnee, born and bred for greatness. Nicknamed the Explosion Princess for both her temper and her power, Vermillion made Weiss extremely proud when she said she didn't care what the people whispered about her. The public scrutiny was nothing more than a nuisance, a constant buzzing like flies around fragrant, low hanging ripe fruit.

"People don't like me being here, huh?" Ruby asked with a fake smile plastered on her face.

Weiss didn't have the heart to lie to her so she answered truthfully, "No… no they don't."

"Why though?" Ruby asked further, sounding rather irked underneath her calm façade. "It's idiots like me that make it so assholes like them can live like this."

"They don't understand," Weiss replied, shooting another death glare at some nondescript socialite trying to gain notice at Ruby's expense. "The war you face outside is losing its footholds in modern-day society. With machines getting smarter and the boarders widening day by day, the Grimm threat seems miles away. People are growing too complacent. History has shown us time and time again that when that happens, when no one suspects a thing, that's when ruin will fall upon us."

"How can you stand being around these idiots?"

"I don't," Weiss said with a smile as she led Ruby to the stack of pristine plates and handed her one. "I'm the reclusive billienaire, remember?"

"Right," Ruby snorted.

As the former couple perused the gourmet isles, lost in their own little world, people began shuffling around them trying to get close. The musky smell of the forest lingering on Ruby's clothes attracted the curious noses of the younger generation, much to Weiss' annoyance since the girls paid her no mind or any respect for that matter.

"Say, I haven't seen you around before," one lady cooed as she injected herself foolishly between Ruby and the sweet and sour meatballs she was eyeing. Weiss smirked unabashedly at the stranger's appalled face when Ruby nonchalantly moved around her to reach another dish. "Hey, I was talking to you!"

"Weiss, what's that over there?" Ruby asked pointing to a tantalizing display of thinly sliced rare meat.

"How dare you ignore _me_!"

"Exactly what it appears to be," Weiss replied with the same feigned ignorance Ruby applied. If her former leader wanted to play the game like this, then who was Weiss to deny her the joy of ignoring an easily offended upstart. "Don't fill up on that though, there's a lot more down the line."

"You say that like you don't know me," Ruby laughed as she piled on the meat. "My calorie intake's gotten higher since Beacon. If I don't eat enough to feed at least four people, I'll wither away—skin and bones, just like you."

"Believe me, I remember the horrors of our meal times together perfectly," Weiss said with a grimace. "I was honestly tempted to buyout a grocery store just to keep you properly fed. I swear the first time you had dinner with my family was the day you won my father's blessing."

"You serious?" Ruby blinked.

Weiss nodded. "Shall we head back to our table? I don't think your plate can hold anymore without snapping in half." Ruby did have to admit the dish was getting a little heavy. But just a little. And definitely not enough to snap in half. "Come on, don't give me that look. You can go back as many times as you'd like. And if anyone says otherwise, who cares? I own this place, I can do whatever I want."

"So that's why!" Ruby beamed when it all clicked into place. The reason why the banquet seemed a little too catered to her preferences was because it was. Weiss had done this specifically for her. "Onwards then!" she exclaimed with a big goofy grin.

Sitting down and eating a fancy meal with Weiss felt the same way it did when they were young and in love. The conversation was stimulating and the food utterly fantastic, Ruby really was in paradise. That is until she noticed that Weiss wasn't eating.

The woman made this face that looked a cross between broody and angry whenever she was in deep thought. It didn't matter what the topic was. Whether it be a happy one or not, Weiss would always look like she was deciding whether or not to euthanize her sick pet.

"I can hear you thinking," Ruby grumbled.

"Oh, sorry… I-I was thinking about Coco."

The fantasy shattered in front of Ruby before it really even began. She stabbed her fork violently into her salad and brought her crispy green catch to her mouth, eager to eat it and drown the noise in her head with its crunch, but she stopped halfway when Weiss' eyes fell longingly to her ring.

Ruby willed herself to take the bite; she wasn't hungry anymore, just angry.

There was an obvious tension in the air as Ruby chewed and Weiss lamented over the past. The crimson cloaked huntress wanted to reach over and touch her former partner's hand, comfort her and tell her that everything would be alright because she was there for her, but she couldn't muster the courage to do it. And every pretty lie she came up with died on the tip of her tongue, only managing a few small words before she stopped and gave up talking entirely. To Weiss it must have sounded like a damaged recording stringing a nonsensical statement along. One can only hear "Sorry for your loss" so many times before snapping.

"You alright?" Ruby asked trying to fill the silence. Weiss shook her head. "Want to talk about it?"

"You must be a glutton for punishment if you're asking me that."

Ruby shrugged. "It won't hurt any worse than that one the time I got impaled to a tree. Worst. Splinter. Ever."

"You nearly died that day!" Weiss exclaimed with a face-palm. "I flew all the way across the world just to make sure your dumb ass didn't kick the bucket before I got the chance to lecture you about proper risk management!"

"Hey! If we're going to compare dumbest ways to die, then what about that shit you pulled over in Mistral a couple years back?" Ruby roared in anger. "There were other huntsmen you could have counted on to help you fight."

"They wouldn't have been enough," Weiss countered. "I did what I had to."

"Dying because you drove yourself to the ground from exhaustion, yeah, great reason to die," Ruby grumbled, crossing her arms.

"Oh like you're any better, Ms. Runs-Until-She-Collapses."

"Okay, you win this round," Ruby muttered bitterly in defeat. She could never win against Weiss when it came to stupid things done on the field. For every small mistake Weiss made, Ruby had made four. "Y'know, almost dying aside, I'm actually still really impressed you managed to summon that many."

"Well you won't be seeing that again. Ever." Weiss took a small sip of her water and said, "I haven't been able to summon anything of that magnitude since."

"Good," Ruby said, stabbing her fork into some succulent meat next. "We're getting way to old for this shit."

The statement piqued Weiss' interest. "Oh, what makes you say that?"

"Uh, weren't you listening when I said I was taking some me time?"

"Yes, I do recall you saying that, but what does that have to do with getting old?"

Ruby pushed her half empty plate away, her appetite completely gone now. "I'm not that wide-eyed, bushytailed kid anymore. I should be married with kids or something like you, Yang, and Blake. You're all living the dream while I'm out there slogging through shit. I guess what I'm trying to say is…" _I'm jealous._

"Hey, before you finish that thought, want to head up to my room?" Weiss asked in a harsh whisper. "I'm getting sick of all these idiots staring at us. Like, hello, yes, I know I'm a feast for the eyes, but the buffet is that way."

"Wow Weiss," Ruby whistled, "you're so humble."

"Your sarcasm has been duly noted," Weiss groaned. "But that was a little conceited of me wasn't it?"

"A little?" Ruby snorted.

"Quit laughing so hard," Weiss barked with a faint smile hidden beneath her snarl.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's just the person who got voted Remnant's most beautiful woman of the year three times in a row has a surprisingly good sense of humour," Ruby said, continuing to laugh at Weiss' expense.

"Then perhaps I should abdicate and become a comedian instead," Weiss snapped irritably.

"Please don't," Ruby whimpered. "I said you were funny but not _that_ funny."

Weiss pushed her chair back, gracefully rose to her feet, and smoothed out the nonexistent wrinkles in her dress with her hands. She gave Ruby a challenging stare and asked, "Do you see that, Ruby?"

"See what?"

Weiss rounded the table to stand beside Ruby, then with the softest of touches, she lifted Ruby's chin with a finger. "That," Weiss repeated, caressing her former lover's cheek before cupping her chin and tilting it.

"I'm not seeing anything but the sexy bedroom eyes you're giving me," Ruby answered with a cheeky grin that quickly melted thanks to Weiss' touch.

"Well I did invite you up but that's besides the point now," Weiss rolled her eyes. "Behind me. That woman in that disgusting green dress. Her."

"You mean the mega-browed avocado?" Ruby tilted her head back to get a better look. "What about her?"

"She's a reporter for the Gazelle, you remember that one Faunus news outlet that still hates me?"

"Uh, yeah? Still not getting the full picture here."

"She's the bitch that crashed Coco's funeral demanding a statement regarding the Faunus lives lost during the guild's raid."

Ruby's eyebrows shot up in surprise before shooting back down and furrowing in anger. "But what about the other people who got killed that day? Do they not matter?!"

"Not when a Schnee is involved it seems," Weiss whispered sadly. "Anyway, come with me to my room. I know you're still hungry so we'll just get room service to bring you something to eat."

Pulling herself out of her seat, Ruby made sure to make herself look as intimidating as possible. "Eh, I'd rather just—"

"I'm not on the menu, Ms. Rose."

"Damn," Ruby cursed.

* * *

"Wow," Ruby whispered in awe when she saw Weiss' penthouse suite. "How much did this place cost?"

"Sorry, what was that?" The CEO asked, too busy getting herself a drink from the fully furnished bar in the living room to properly listen.

"I asked how much this all costs," Ruby repeated as she poked her nose down a long hallway.

With just a cursory glance, Ruby saw the bathroom and the door leading to the main bedroom. She couldn't see much else from there and wanted to explore some more, but she felt that could wait till later and turned her attention elsewhere.

"I honestly have no idea," Weiss replied with a nonchalant shrug. "I personally own the penthouse suite of every Schnee Luxury Hotel and that of the smaller economy chains."

"But you never leave your house," Ruby pointed out dryly. "Why spend the money on all these places?"

"I lend them out to our friends and travelling executives. I don't want Yang or Blake staying in a dingy motel when they can relax in luxury here."

"Damn," Ruby whistled when she joined Weiss at the bar.

"You could have stayed at any SDC owned facility as well," Weiss explained. "Father's offer didn't expire when we went our separate ways."

"I know, Yang kept nagging me about it whenever I was too strapped for cash to afford a place to stay."

"Then why didn't you?"

Ruby shrugged and pulled out her flask. "I don't know. I guess I was ashamed…"

"I see…" Weiss hummed as she swirled her wine. "You were too ashamed to utilize our connection, yet you had no problem accepting Coco's help? Ruby, are you stupid?"

"The Adel Guild was a legit place with good sources. The other guilds were rip-offs, so why wouldn't I sign up?"

"Because I married her," Weiss said without hesitation. Ruby gave her a wry grin before throwing back her flask and drinking it dry. "She told me you took on the most dangerous jobs she had on the board—the ones requiring a large group to complete."

"Yup," Ruby said without a care. "Did 'em all by my lonely."

"You're an idiot, you know this right?"

"Either I take the job or Coco personally goes with her team. I figured you'd rest easier at night knowing someone stupider than your wife existed."

"You're not that high up on the list of reckless individuals that overshadowed Coco," Weiss said harshly. "There have been plenty of D-class teams fresh out of school trying for those jobs. You're A-class on your own, so you get a bit of leeway."

"Still nothing compared you and Blake in your fancy S-class thrones."

"I'm B-class at best now," Weiss said, clenching her left fist angrily.

Ruby looked down at it curiously and blinked. "I didn't know you still wanted to be a huntress."

"I went with Coco whenever I managed to escape the office," Weiss said with a sad smile. "We brought the girls with us sometimes. Vermillion caused more collateral damage than the Grimm, but who can really complain if you can wipe out a whole pack with one attack."

"Nothing says family bonding like a stroll through Grimm infested forests…"

Weiss polished off the rest of her wine and got up to get more. She stood in front of the extensive display contemplating which bottle would best suit her tastes. Stealing a glance at Ruby, Weiss grabbed the first bottle she saw along with the top shelf rye. Tonight was not a night she felt either of them wanted to spend sober.

"Thanks…" Ruby said when Weiss placed a clean crystal glass with a large ice chunk in it.

Weiss took her seat quietly beside Ruby and poured herself a generous amount of red wine. "No problem," she said. "I'm personally not a fan of that brand, but it's still a good choice."

"Yeah, Qrow would've killed to get a drop of this…"

"He was a good man," Weiss said with a smile.

Ruby shrugged. "Wished I knew he was my actual dad before it was too late though."

A pregnant silence lingered in the air. Neither woman dared to look up from their respective glasses. The phantoms born from their repressed feelings clung to them, whispering and reminding them of the tiny details of their lives that they couldn't bear to face.

In the end, Weiss was the one who chose to speak up first.

"Why did you say no, Ruby?" she asked in a hushed whisper.

There wasn't any need to clarify the question, because it was _the_ question after all. The one both of them thought about on a near obsessive level.

"I was scared," Ruby answered just as quietly.

"What were you scared of?"

Weiss' voice was soft and delicate, like the first snowflake of winter touching the earth, while Ruby's was gruff and gravelly like an old riverbed. Her many years of heavy drinking had taken its toll on her vocal chords; she was sounding more and more like Qrow with each passing day.

"Like I told you earlier, I wanted more than what you could give me. I wanted to try new things with different people, things I didn't think I could try with you… we were also so different from each other that I was certain we'd eventually stop seeing things eye to eye. So I wanted to reclaim what we had when we first started dating. I wanted that Weiss, not the Weiss that knew me inside and out."

"Familiarity breeds contempt," Weiss whispered sagely into her glass. "I can't say I ever felt that way towards you, though. You annoyed me at some points, but you always made up for it somehow."

"Heh, y'know, I used to talk so much shit about you whenever Yang and I got drunk at a bar."

"I know," Weiss sighed, looking away sadly. "She told me."

"Yeah, sorry… I'm not particularly proud of that." Ruby finished her rye and poured herself another. "I was always complaining about how you kept taking me to those boring parties or how you'd keep giving me things whenever you were too busy to spend time with me. I knew that the moment we graduated you'd stop being a huntress. It wasn't hard to imagine either since you were barely around during our fourth year, always flying to this place or that to oversee or sign something."

"Those were pretty hectic times I must admit," Weiss agreed with a soft chuckle rumbling through her chest. "I barely had time to eat or sleep between my studies and the duties father entrusted me with."

"I didn't want that to be my life. I wanted the adventure, the thrill of the hunt, not the boring white walls of a boardroom," Ruby said, grimacing as if she'd swallowed something sour. "When I thought about all of that, I panicked and said no."

"Yet you still had the audacity to sleep with me that night."

"Hey, I just said no to the proposal! I didn't say anything about breaking up," Ruby shouted in her defense. "Do you know how freaked out I was when I woke up alone in bed? You were the one who left me, Weiss."

"I didn't leave you," Weiss shouted back angrily. "You knew I was scheduled to return to Atlas for a month after graduation! Everyone was there to see me off except for you!"

"Why didn't you wake me up then?!"

"I tried, but you were practically dead to the world and I was already running late," Weiss explained in exasperation. "I left you three voicemails that I'm pretty sure you never even bothered listening to! Not to mention the wakeup call I instructed the hotel to give you five minutes after I left the lobby."

"Wait, wait, wait, voicemails? Wakeup call?" Ruby said waving her hands in front of herself.

"Yes, three of them. Each one longer than the last if I recall correctly. And I can only assume you slept through the wakeup call as well."

"Crap…"

"After that third month without any contact or sign you were still alive, I decided to let you go…" Weiss said looking at Ruby with a broken smile. "It hurt so much to do that, but I couldn't put my life on hold waiting for you forever. Blake and Yang kept pestering me to go find you, but by then I was this hormonal mess that honestly didn't care anymore."

Those three months Weiss spent waiting for Ruby was Qrow's doing. He was eager to get Ruby's feet wet and specially trained, so he signed them up for a special mission a week after her graduation. Ruby didn't even have time to breathe before they were sent halfway around the world, walking through knee-deep tropical rainforest muck looking for a man-eater. They were also too far from the CCT, and the village they were contracted to was nomadic, so Ruby had no way of getting ahold of Weiss or anyone else for that matter.

"I see…" Ruby swirled her drink, watching the slowly melting ice clink against the glass as she tried to put her thoughts into words. "What was the deal with that by the way?" she asked, doing her best not to sound accusatory. Ruby had no idea about Blanc until she saw her at Weiss' wedding, and it took her even longer to find out that she was hers.

"Flemmeth needed more test subjects, so I offered to pick up where we left off," Weiss answered. "I still loved you at the time, so the thought that it might've been a mistake never really crossed my mind."

"What about Coco?"

"What about her?"

"How did she take it knowing her girlfriend was pregnant with someone else's kid?"

Weiss smiled at the fond memory. Coco's initial reaction was more than she could have hoped for. She expected her to up and leave that night, not shout out in jubilation. Though Weiss was certain that there must've been a small part in Coco's heart that was jealous of Ruby, otherwise they wouldn't have tried for their own two-and-a-half years later.

Weiss could still remember how excited her wife was when Flemmeth agreed to help them conceive. There was a small argument about who would carry it, but Weiss was ultimately selected due to her experience with Blanc. That didn't deter Coco, however. Instead it fired her up even more.

The amount of support and care Coco gave to Weiss during her pregnancy made picking a name easy. Coco wanted to name their child Chrys after the chrysanthemum, hers and her mother's favourite flower. It meant loyalty and devotion, both platonic and romantic, in the language of flowers; Weiss never bothered coming up with her own name.

Sadly, they only had her for half a year before they had to lay her to rest. The day they lost Chrys was the same day Weiss nearly died. Over one hundred people were gathered in an auditorium for a special press conference regarding Weiss' next step towards equal Faunus rights. For the duration of the speech, Weiss and Coco left the baby and Blanc with a trusted maid and plenty of security. It was going great until the first shot was fired. The bullet missed Weiss' head by a few inches and imbedded itself in the executive directly behind her. Everything went silent but once the bullets started raining down, chaos erupted.

The security guards did their best, unfortunately half of them died to the first volley; Chrys, the maid, and several others racing for the same exit were victims of the second wave.

Coco hated herself for not being able to protect their child, but was still grateful she managed to save Weiss—most of her at least. The second bullet aimed at Weiss destroyed her left shoulder, leaving her arm attached by a thread; losing a limb was better than losing your life. However, Weiss would've preferred being dead after hearing she'd lost not one but both of her daughters that day.

Hours later, when police and volunteers combed the site for any survivors and evidence, they found Blanc. She was drenched completely in blood, buried beneath three dead guards, traumatized and too scared to call for help.

It took Coco years to come to terms with what happened. Weiss was worried she'd never bounce back, but when they had Vermillion, Coco seemed somewhat better. However, her smile was never the same. At least now they were buried next to each other, both mother and child, side by side, surrounded by their favourite flowers, to be remembered forevermore.

"She loved Blanc, and she loved Vermillion. There was never a problem," Weiss said with a weak smile. She wondered if Ruby knew about Chrys.

"I see…"

Another pregnant pause followed Ruby's mumbled words, this one more prominent than the last. She was on her fifth glass with Weiss on her seventh or eighth. The night was still young and yet they were drinking as if it were the end of the world. Ruby hated this feeling, but it was the only way to get her conscience to shut up.

The first drink washed away the guilt of breaking Weiss' heart, the second and third were for the people she couldn't save, the fourth down to the seventh were for the children she never got to help raise, and the eighth was for the giant lie she told everyone that cared enough to ask: "are you alright?" _Yeah, I'm peachy keen._ Then she'd hit the bottom of the bottle and everything would come rushing back like a never ending nightmare.

How many times had she woken up in a dark alley in a puddle of her own vomit? How many bars had she been kicked out of because another customer had the balls to badmouth Weiss Schnee in front of her? It was all a blurry mess. She was a mess. A god awful mess. So how could Weiss bear to look at her the way she did? Like the stars were hidden in her eyes along with the meaning of her life. It was absurd, but it was typical Weiss. Ruby knew it was all because Weiss still loved her. The daft woman said she let her go, left their love behind and moved on, but Weiss was never a good liar when it came to her heart.

A single tear rolled down Ruby's cheek, followed by another and another until she was bawling like a lost child searching for her way home, fingers digging deep into her thighs as she wrung the life out of her loose-fitting pants. How could she have been so stupid to not see it until it was too late?

Her whole life revolved around Weiss, from the clothes she wore on her back to the specialized equipment she used, everything was SDC manufactured or approved. Ruby liked to joke that she was Weiss' biggest fangirl since nobody remembered or believed she was the awkward teenage girl Weiss was often photographed with. She didn't know what hurt more, the fact that Coco was known as Weiss Schnee's single greatest love or the fact that she, Ruby Rose, was left nameless as Weiss' awkward teammate.

"Ruby?" Weiss was nonplussed by Ruby's sudden disquietude.

She sat stoically beside Ruby with a hardened, unreadable expression on her face. While it pained her to see someone she cared about look so tormented, she no longer had any tears left to cry for her. Weiss had tried so hard to be everything Ruby needed to complete her life, but the child Ruby was then craved for more which meant Weiss would never be enough, or rather she was never enough to begin with. That was a tough bullet to bite, but she grew to accept it in time.

"Why are you crying now of all times?" she asked, her voice carrying two decades worth of pent up scorn.

Weiss desperately wanted to laugh and say that this was karma. That this was all Ruby's fault, and that she should learn to live with the bitter consequences. She wanted to say all that and more, to vent out every vile thought she had festering in her soul like old infected wounds, yet she couldn't bring herself to do it. She couldn't hurt Ruby, she just couldn't.

In the end, Weiss deferred to the one conclusion she'd made that always eased the pain—she blamed herself. It was as simple as that. Whatever made Ruby feel the way she did stemmed from Weiss herself, because she was inadequate then, and now she was utterly repulsive.

 _Ugly._

The invasive thought made Weiss shuddered and tighten the grip she had around the stem of her wine glass, a subtle tell that showed she'd lost her composure. Her icy gaze was focused on her reflection in the dark red liquid, her face was perfectly neutral but her eyes were filled with disgust and loathing.

When they were younger, Weiss was always stretched beyond her limits juggling school and work simultaneously. She hadn't lied when she said she had little time to eat or sleep. On some days she'd forgo both just in order to finish her duties. Her only solace from the mortal coil were her brief calls to Ruby when the company whisked her away to some far-off land and the too few nights she'd spend beside Ruby in their bed at school.

Weiss was a mess back then, a ticking time bomb ready to explode, thankfully she had Glynda's combat class and field exercises to release her pent up frustration. Her outbursts were legendary at Beacon, something Vermillion intended to carry on judging by all the bills Jaune sent her on a bi-weekly basis. But putting all that aside, Weiss knew that her biggest mistake was letting her relationship with Ruby fall out of priority. She blindly believed that Ruby would understand that everything she did was so she could support her in he future. All those times she went abroad were to foster better relations with the workers she'd eventually inherit from her aging father, and it had worked marvelously, but at what cost? Weiss had lost the love of the person she worked so hard for all because she worked so damn hard she never had any time for her.

Weiss used to stay awake at night wondering what she could have done to have it all. She supposed she could have tried just a little harder, taken more time between her work and studies to care for Ruby, she just didn't know what else she could have given without tearing herself apart. But then there was Coco. Stylish, self-centered Coco, who never once asked anything of her except for a home to come back to. She was theatrical yet sublime in everything she did, like a cool autumn wind carrying all the vibrant colours of the season. She was strong, reliable, and so incredibly smart that Weiss never had any trouble pulling her into an intellectual conversation. They were also cut from the same cloth so Coco and her family got along famously. The fashionista fit the Schnee family lifestyle better than Weiss did, but she was hopeless when it came to the call for help. Coco adhered to the huntsmen's code of honour to the bitter end.

God she missed her, had it really been half a year? It felt so much longer than that. Her scent was gone from their bed, and her favourite jacket no longer felt as warm or comforting. Weiss hated to admit it, but she couldn't feel Coco's presence around her anymore.

"Weiss," Ruby whimpered, her voice cracking from the stress, "I'm sorry. For being an idiot, for hurting you, for… for everything."

Taken aback by Ruby's sudden outburst, Weiss was rendered speechless. She knew the redundant apology was coming, but what she didn't expect was that she'd actually feel moved by it.

"I never should have left you," Ruby said crying even harder. "My life's been shit without you."

"Ruby…"

"You know, I've tried to get over you. I tried dating, but I can't even kiss someone without seeing your face."

"It was the same for me," Weiss confessed bitterly, thinking back to all the times she'd callously compared Coco to Ruby, "but I eventually got over it. I learned to love again and it was perfect."

"I know," Ruby cried, her heart torn in two. "I know she made you happy, that's why I had to disappear. I wanted you to forget about me and live your life without looking back."

"Forgetting you is impossible, you dolt," Weiss said in a frosty tone, rolling her eyes at the needless drama brewing. "Face it, you weren't thinking about me when you decided to run away. You were thinking about yourself, you selfish idiot." Ruby flinched. "That's right, I said it! I finally said it. You're selfish. You might not be greedy or a user, but you're easily the most self-centered person I know—and I married Coco! _Coco_ _Adel_ of all people! So that's really saying something about who you were.

"That being said, what exactly do you want from me, Ruby? My pity? Because you already have that. So tell me. Right here. Right now. What do you want?"

"I…"

"What is it, Ruby?"

Ruby looked away in shame, Weiss was right about everything.

"You're not the victim here," Weiss seethed. "So stop acting like one! You're not even a victim of circumstance."

"I'm sorry."

"Saying your sorry isn't going to fix anything. It isn't some miracle cure that can magically turn back time. We're well past the point of no return, Ruby. What we need to do is to take action, otherwise we'll be stuck like this forever."

"I'm sorry, it's all I got," Ruby mumbled without a fight. "I fucked up and now I'm paying the price for it. Weiss, if you could only see yourself right now, you look like you hate me so much… but I know I deserve it."

"I don't hate you," Weiss sighed, her brows creasing together. She was so tired of this. "I loved you so much, Ruby, but that wasn't enough. It was never enough— _I_ was never enough."

"And that's where I went wrong," Ruby confessed with her head hung low in repentance. "You were enough, Weiss. You were more than enough. You were all I ever needed… I just realized it too late."

"Ruby…"

"Weiss, I can't live like this anymore," Ruby cried out as she angrily slammed her fists on the bar. "My life is meaningless without you; I _need_ you, Weiss."

The business woman stared at her former lover, cold and analytical like she would when contemplating a contract. The terms and conditions were exactly what she wanted—twenty-two years ago—but now she wasn't so sure. She was too old and bitter about their past to embrace Ruby's offer without a proper contingency plan; there had to be something more. Ruby needed to be the one to relent for once, because Weiss was done being the doormat. If Ruby really wanted Weiss, then she needed to give what she refused so long ago, the same thing that Coco had given without hesitation. No, not her life but her love. The unconditional love only someone who'd sworn all their days to you could give, that was all Weiss had ever hoped and wanted for from Ruby.

"Weiss, I-I love you and I want to be with you again… if you'll still have me that is," Ruby said with a hopeful glimmer in her eyes. "I'm not holding back anymore. I'm ready. For everything."

Weiss scanned Ruby's tired silver eyes for any signs of fear or hesitation and found none. There was nothing left of the vagabond that broke Weiss' heart in the woman sitting beside her.

"Really?" Weiss asked tentatively.

Ruby nodded, "I've wasted enough time don't you think?

"I see…" Weiss mulled over Ruby's words carefully as she glided a finger over her wedding ring.

The smooth silver metal with its brilliant luster had been a source of great comfort over the years. It brought her peace of mind whenever she was overwhelmed and drowning in her sea of worries. It was a constant reminder that she wasn't alone, that she had someone who would stand beside her through thick and thin. To Weiss her wedding ring was more than just a symbol of commitment, it was the lifeline that saved her life. But the person holding onto the other end was no longer there to keep her head out of the water, plunging her back into the murky depths where her monsters laid in wait.

Truthfully, Weiss never thought about what would happen if Ruby suddenly came back into her life like she did today. It hurt too much think about things that would never be, so when Coco came into the picture she focused on her. And it was easy, oh so easy, to fall in love with her and forget about Ruby when Coco held her in her arms.

A tear slid down Weiss' cheek. Ruby might've been ready but she wasn't. It was far too soon to even begin considering her options. Coco had been such a big part of her life. Was she really ready to turn the next page or in this case flip back? Weiss wasn't sure, she was never sure when it came to Ruby Rose.

What would Coco say if she were here?

"Weiss?" Ruby whispered softly, reaching over to dry her beloved's eyes.

The redhead's hand had just touched her cheek when Weiss whimpered, "I can't." She trembled in Ruby's palm and repeated herself, "Ruby, I can't."

"Huh?"

"I can't be with you, not like this." Weiss pushed Ruby's hand away, her heart skipping a beat when their skin touched. "I care about you, I truly do. But do I want to be with you? After all this time, after everything you've done, should I risk it all again for you?"

"Weiss…"

"I love my wife, Ruby..."

The crimson cloaked huntress sucked in a sharp breath. "I-I understand," Ruby managed to say before her voice gave out. "I—"

Her heart was laid out before her, shattered to a million irreparable pieces. Ruby wanted to pick herself up and begin a new but there was so little left. What could she hope to salvage when every piece of her loved Weiss Schnee. And for Weiss? The answer was obvious the moment their hands touched.

"… but she would want me to give you another chance," Weiss continued to say with a growing semblance of confidence burning in her eyes. "I'd be doing her memory a great dishonour if I didn't."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, looking up at Weiss with a crooked, blithe smile.

Seeing that smile made Weiss remember something important, the reason why she felt Coco would be alright if Weiss decided to remarry. It was an old conversation they had during one of their stargazing dates. Coco said it offhandedly, not wanting to scare Weiss. She played it off as a joke, but Weiss knew Coco was serious. The request was quickly forgotten since Weiss believed they'd grow old together.

"Coco made me promise that if something ever happened to her, I'd move on with my life," she answered quietly with a smile. "She told me to look for you and try again, if not for myself then at least for the girls. It's funny, when she said that I slapped her so hard and made her sleep on the couch for a week. I was so angry back then; I couldn't imagine life without her. But now that its actually happened, I'm kind of at a loss on what to do."

"Well, you found me, now what?"

"Like I _just_ said, I don't know…" Weiss sighed, "And truthfully? I'm terrified. You hurt me once before, what's stopping you from doing it again?"

Feeling brave, Ruby reached over and grabbed Weiss' right hand with both of hers. The sudden touch jolted the older woman but once she calmed down, Weiss allowed it continue.

Ruby smiled at her, "What's stopping me? Twenty-two years of regret, that's what."

Weiss quirked an eyebrow and gave Ruby a once-over. The unimpressed look she gave her said it all, but Weiss felt the need to say it anyway. "That would explain why you look like a shambling horror," she drawled.

"I swear I still clean up nice," Ruby chirped in insistence. "But, uh, maybe I should get a hair cut or something. Forget being a bird's nest, this is a total rat's nest."

"A shower would definitely be nice," Weiss deadpanned. "You smell like Blanc's bird sanctuary."

"She still likes birds?" Ruby asked perking up significantly.

"She loves them, especially this strange silver-eyed summer tanager that breaks in every now and again just to visit her." Weiss gave Ruby a knowing look and said, "You're going to have to tell her eventually."

"Do you want me to die, Weiss?! Because that's what's going to happen if I tell her the truth," Ruby yelped, horrified by the mental images of her gruesome death flashing before her eyes.

"She'll beat you within an inch of your life perhaps, but she definitely won't kill you," Weiss chuckled nervously. "I hope…" she whispered that last part to herself before taking her glass to her lips.

The stoic knight learned of her parentage early due to a slight miscalculation on Weiss' part. It was mainly Yang's fault for telling Blanc that they were blood related, but it was Weiss' fault for letting Blanc call Yang her aunt. And since neither Weiss nor Coco were related to the big blonde oaf, Blanc simply added two and two together and deduced the truth. The tiny girl threw the mother of all hissy fits and locked herself away in her room for a week. It took Weiss an entire month to get Blanc to talk to her again, but by then she'd been set in her ways.

Blanc swore that she'd personally end Ruby Rose's life for sullying the Schnee family name and dishonoring her noble mother. Thankfully the vendetta came to an end when Blanc was old enough to understand the circumstances behind her birth. So now it's just a simmering, irreconcilable hate, but Ruby didn't need to know that just yet.

"Ugh…" Ruby banged her head against the bar. "What am I going to do, Weiss?"

"Take a shower?" Weiss replied with a raised brow. "I've told you this how many times already?"

Ruby looked up at her prim and composed partner with a jealous glare. "If I agree to take one, will you join me?"

"I just agreed to a tentative courtship with you, I can easily revoke that decision."

"Eh?" Ruby whined, slumping forward. "Courtship? Did I break a law or something? I know you like to judge me, but we're way past the whole dating thing."

"So you say," Weiss frowned. "But what I learned from our previous relationship was that I didn't know you as well as I thought I did, so forgive me if I'm a bit weary."

"What do I have to do to earn that ring back?" Ruby asked, her hand resting comfortably on Weiss' thigh as she used the other to prop her head up.

Weiss squared her jaw and brushed the offending hand off her leg. "Who said you'll ever get that opportunity again?"

"You did, just now, when I touched you," Ruby grinned. "Your hand was shaking when you touched mine, and you pulled away for a second before pushing me off."

"That proves nothing," Weiss said, scoffing at the ridiculous observations. "I merely hesitated because your hands are filthy."

"I can't deny that," Ruby snickered.

"Go. Take. A. Shower!" Weiss shouted, putting heavy emphasis on each word.

Rolling her eyes, Ruby hopped off her bar stool and swirled on her heel to face Weiss. "I don't have any extra clothes on me, mind if I just stay naked after?"

"This is a five star luxury hotel, use one of the bathrobes provided," Weiss replied coldly, her attention on the half-empty bottle of wine beside her. "They're made of one-hundred-percent Vacuoan cotton; it'll feel like you're being swaddled by a cloud."

"Fancy, but I'd still have to go commando," Ruby chirped as she skipped down the hallway to the bathroom.

Weiss shook her head and gulped down the last of her wine. "Nothing I haven't seen before," she muttered to herself. "I wasn't impressed then, so I won't be impressed now."

Oh how wrong she was.

When Ruby walked out of the bathroom forty-five minutes later, Weiss' jaw went slack. Ruby had matured magnificently. Her body was beautifully toned and slender, her tanned skin littered with scars of various sizes and shapes, each one telling a story Weiss desperately wanted to hear. Ruby's robe was tied loosely around her waist, revealing a jaw dropping amount of cleavage and her flat, well-defined stomach. Weiss used to love tracing the outlines of Ruby's abs after they were intimate or the peaceful minutes just before they both fell asleep. She was often mesmerized how such a small girl could be so strong, but she never doubted the strength she carried.

"Weiss, close your mouth!" chided Ruby, mimicking Weiss' disgruntled tone with frightening accuracy.

The business woman snapped her mouth shut and looked away, her face burning from embarrassment. Ruby ran a hand through her damp hair and pushed her bangs back, uncovering her face. Weiss continued to ignore her, but Ruby could see she was taking quick peeks from the side.

"I told you I cleaned up nice," Ruby chuckled haughtily as she saddled herself back into her seat. She caught Weiss staring at her bare legs from the corner of her eye and grinned; somethings never change. "Eyes up here, Queeny," she purred seductively as she slowly crossed her legs.

"I…" Weiss was legitimately speechless. How did the woman sitting in front of her go from looking like a homeless drifter to this redheaded warrior goddess? The transformation was too much for Weiss' drunk mind to comprehend. "I, wow, alright… um, I… I need more wine."

"Aren't you on your second bottle?" Ruby worriedly pointed out, the playfulness on her face wiped clean.

"I finished the second bottle," Weiss answered, sounding proud of the achievement. "Now I want my third, then a fourth, and however many it takes after to convince myself that I did not just agree to start seeing you again."

Ruby frowned and masked the hurt she felt behind a calm façade. "I don't think there's enough wine in the world for that," she said bitterly.

"I don't think so either," Weiss slurred into a dry chuckle. "Good lord, what am I doing?"

"Well a moment ago you were undressing me with your eyes and now you're kind of blubbering like a… well, like a me after a rough night." Ruby had quite a lot to drink herself, but it was nothing compared to the alarming amount Weiss consumed in such a short time.

Scoffing, Weiss tilted her chin up and looked down at Ruby. "A rough night? I'd like to know what a 'rough' night counts for you. Because for me it's running the world's largest supplier of dust and all that other crap we dabble in.

"Did you know I own a shoe company? They call them Schneekers! When I first heard of it I thought it was some sort of terrible joke or the R&D department accidentally hired Yang—"

"Weiss, maybe I should go now…" Ruby said after suddenly realizing why Weiss was drinking so much.

"What?!" Weiss snapped, her eyes wide like she'd just been slapped.

"Maybe you should just forget everything I said, getting back together was a dumb idea anyway," Ruby whimpered as she covered herself up properly. Weiss' hand shot forward and wrapped itself around Ruby's wrist with an iron grip. "W-What?"

"You can't," Weiss murmured, her gaze watery and downcast, "you promised me you'd stay, that you'd earn your damn ring back, so why are you trying to leave?"

"And I promise I won't ever leave you again," Ruby said calmly to her drunk companion. "I'm not trying to run away, and I do want to earn that ring back, but I don't think you want me back. Maybe as a friend but not like…"

"I do want you back," Weiss whimpered. "But I'm just so damn scared! This whole evening's been one thing after another and I don't know if I can keep up."

"Then don't." Ruby smiled as she lifted Weiss' chin up, "Let go, Weiss. Let it all go."

"I don't ever want to let go you again," Weiss said with tears in her eyes. "You belong with me, Ruby, nobody else but me."

"I know," the redhead sighed. "I know I do. But how can I come home when an afternoon alone together is enough to drive you up the wall?"

"If you're concerned about the alcohol, I'll be paying for it in the morning tomorrow," Weiss joked with a weak smile. "Plus, with my metabolism this isn't much."

"Every drunk says that," Ruby rolled her eyes. "Hell, I say that!"

"And it's true," Weiss pointed out. "You were drinking that whiskey like water just an hour ago and look at you now. Face it, the wine isn't at fault here. You should probably thank it though for lowering my inhibitions, otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"Thank you, drunk Weiss, but you've still had too much to drink," Ruby said, prying her wrist free. "We can talk about this when you're sober or something."

"Sober Weiss isn't going to talk or give in," the inebriated woman said. "We both know I'm too prideful to ever allow it otherwise."

"So you wouldn't have taken me back even if you really wanted to?"

Weiss smiled at Ruby. "No, I would have demanded we start off slow, ease back into things before we really commit," she said sighing listlessly.

"I wouldn't have said no to that," Ruby responded. "I just want us back, I'll do whatever it takes."

"I know you would, but just because I say I want it that way doesn't mean I really do."

Ruby blinked. "Uh… come again?"

"I really want to kiss you," Weiss said flatly. "If we still have that spark between us then a kiss should be nothing. Forcing us to go at a snail's pace goes against everything we were. Do you get it now?"

"No, but if I nod my head and pretend like I do, can I still kiss you?"

Weiss rolled her eyes and nodded. "You have my permission."

It didn't take Ruby long to lean in for her long awaited kiss. The dormant passion between them that waited patiently to be reignited came to life when their lips touched. Ruby had to physically hold herself back, she didn't want to scare Weiss off with how badly she wanted her.

When the kiss ended, Weiss looked conflicted. The spark she mentioned was most definitely still there, alive and well, but something felt off. Weiss couldn't place her finger on it so she demanded another to see if it was just her imagination. Ruby eagerly complied and kissed her again. That feeling didn't go away, however. Weiss still didn't know what was wrong and it frustrated her enough to pull away.

"Did I do something wrong? It's been awhile," Ruby said with an embarrassed blush as she retreated back to her seat.

Weiss shook her head. "You're still about as terrible as you were back then," she teased, but the smile on her lips didn't reach her eyes. "I didn't complain then and I'm not about to start complaining now."

"Low blow to the ego," Ruby whimpered.

"Alright, I lied," Weiss sighed. "Something is terribly wrong."

"Was it my breath? I can go back and brush again if it is."

"No, your breath is fine."

"Then what's wrong?"

That was when Weiss figured it out. The reason why the kisses felt so off was because Ruby wasn't in it for herself, she was doing it for her.

Weiss was shocked when she realized it and immediately sought to rectify the situation. "Kiss me. One more time. And don't hold back," Weiss said determinedly.

Ruby panicked and shook her head. "No!" she exclaimed to Weiss' surprise. "I can't. I need to hold back, at least for a little while."

"Why?"

"I-I want to do things right," Ruby mumbled hesitantly. "So if I want to do that, I need to restrain myself… because I don't know what I'll do if I don't."

"What if…" Weiss looked at Ruby softly, "what if I were to allow it?"

"Huh?"

"What if I allowed it?" Weiss repeated boldly. "I'm not saying it again, Ruby. I want you to kiss me with everything you've got and prove to me that this isn't a mistake. Kiss me the way only you can."

"Is it really alright?"

"Yes."

"I might not be able to stop myself."

"You might not have to."

Gulping, Ruby nervously fiddled with her robe's sash, too embarrassed to look Weiss in the eye. "Can I—no, may I," Ruby took a deep breath and sought out Weiss' hand, "take you to bed?"

"You're jumping the gun again," Weiss chided her, hiding the deepening blush on her face with her free hand. "But… I wouldn't be completely opposed to it if—and only if—we both feel that this relationship still has a viable future to attain."

"Weiss…" Ruby breathed out as she slid forward in her seat and ran her left hand through Weiss' perfect long hair. The older woman shuddered against her and leaned in, waiting for Ruby to close the distance. Ruby smiled when Weiss' eyes fluttered shut and drew herself close. With half an inch barely between their lips, Ruby whispered, "I'm never leaving you again," and kissed her.

Weiss was amazingly receptive to Ruby's reinvigorated efforts to win her heart back, sending a wave of chills down both their backs. Ruby nudged Weiss' legs apart so she could comfortably position herself between them and deepen the kiss. Weiss complied and wrapped her arms around Ruby's neck, drawing her closer to her body so they were flush against each other.

Ruby moaned into the kiss, running a hand up Weiss' leg, slipping past the expensive fabric to touch bare skin. Weiss whined in complaint but didn't stop, she was too far down the rabbit hole to see the light.

They pulled apart for some much needed air, their eyes locked in a hazy stalemate. Ruby's gaze darts towards Weiss' lips, her finger twitching in anticipation. She was going in for the draw, but Weiss acted first and crashed her lips into Ruby's, startling the younger woman for a split second before she challenged Weiss for dominance. Weiss willingly let Ruby win their little game of tongue of war and allowed her partner's firm hand wander up north.

Ruby's heart was thrashing painfully in her chest. The higher up her curious hand rose, the faster her heart would beat. By the time the tips of her fingers grazed the underside of Weiss' left breast, Ruby's heart was practically jumping out of her chest. It was as soft as she remembered it, even the way it fit perfectly in her palm was the same.

This was starting to become absolute torture.

The heart building in her lungs Ruby to break away from the kiss. Weiss whined in complaint and sought to bring Ruby back to her, but a well timed squeeze stopped her in her tracks. Ruby reveled in the delightful moans escaping Weiss' unsealed lips as she continued to trace over the soft contours of her beloved's chest. It was such a lovely sound, like music to the ears; Ruby couldn't get enough.

Ruby buried her nose in the crook of Weiss' neck and breathed her intoxicating scent in as if it were the first breath of fresh air she'd had in decades. "I want you out of this dress so badly," she murmured against Weiss' milky skin.

"You'll need to work much harder than this to do that," Weiss said in a breathy tone that drove Ruby up the wall. "But I'll give you a free pass just this once…"

Ruby sighed in relief and held Weiss close. She didn't need to say anything because Weiss knew her well enough to guess what she was thinking. It wouldn't have been hard to figure out either, but for posterity's sake she had to say it out loud at least once to make it official.

She took Weiss' hands into hers and held them firmly as she dropped down on her left knee. "Weiss, I love you," Ruby said humbly. "My life has always been yours, so can you please find it in your heart to take me back?"

"…" Weiss looked down at her calmly.

"Please?" Ruby pleaded.

The CEO sighed and shook her head ruefully. "What am I going to do with you?" she said feeling rather vexed. "I already agreed to start seeing you again—don't you dare give me that kicked puppy look… what did I just say!?"

"But Weiss!" Ruby whimpered, her sad silver eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

Weiss rolled her eyes and wretched her hands free, grabbing Ruby by the cheeks. "Stop being so adorable you dolt!" she commanded, guiding Ruby back to her feet so they could meet eye to eye. "Look," she said with a sigh, "I don't know how deep my feelings for you go. However, I do know that we still have a strong physical attraction to one another. That alone is enough to convince me that perhaps we can still make things work."

"So do you like me or like-like me?"

"Neither," Weiss stated. "I am physically attracted to you, but I still love my wife."

"Oh…" Ruby recalled what Penny said to her before they parted ways this afternoon.

"You can't just show up randomly and expect me to throw myself at your feet, begging for you to love me," Weiss said a little miffed that Ruby thought she could fix things in one evening. "You need to prove to me that you've changed, and that the girl who hurt me is gone for good."

Ruby blinked back the tears and nodded. "Alright. I'll do it. I'll do whatever it takes."

"I'm glad you understand," Weiss said. "But where were we?"

"I think I was trying to seduce you before I decided to open my big, stupid mouth."

"I will only ask you this once." Weiss cleared her throat and in her usual tense tone she said, "I would like to continue where we left off, are you in agreement?"

Ruby stared into Weiss' eyes, mystified by the proud woman's bold suggestion, and said what she should have on that day in the courtyard:

"… yes."


	5. The End

**Final Chapter: The Choices We Make**

 _Everything We've Done has Led Us to This_

* * *

Ruby woke up feeling hungover and sore in all the wrong places. She learned right away that Weiss was still the same in bed, a domineering power top who loved nipping on necks.

Switching positions on Weiss was never a good idea, Ruby knew this and yet she decided to do it anyway. As soon as the tables were flipped, Weiss went from sexy dominatrix to shy, virgin school girl. It was fun poking and teasing the powerful business owner like a small animal, but that was short lived since an uncomfortable Weiss meant bad things were soon going to happen.

And they did.

In true Schnee fashion, Weiss put an immediate end to Ruby's "fun" without hesitation. The mood was completely gone and Weiss wasn't even out of her pretty little dress yet. So instead rekindling their physical relationship, they ended up ordering a late dinner and discussed the ground rules while they ate. More alcohol was then wantonly consumed, followed by cheeky gossip, and eventually they wound up in bed again—this time to sleep like the dead because a drunken pillow fight (with semblances) was easily more exhausting than sex. The winner of their match was Weiss, who easily won thanks to her glyphs, but it wasn't a one-sided fight. Ruby got a few good hits in that wouldn't be forgotten anytime soon.

"Weiss…" Ruby moaned.

Trapped within her sleepy haze, Ruby lazily felt around the bed searching for her favourite heat source. "Weiss?" she murmured into her pillow.

But still no response.

Ruby cracked an eye open, allowing only the tiniest sliver of light to enter her peaceful abyss. She expected to see her lover sleeping a couple inches away from her, but to her surprise she was completely alone in bed. Weiss' half of the plush king-size bed was perfectly made minus the spots Ruby's search disturbed. Growing frantic, Ruby looked across the room and saw the bedroom door leading to the hallway open.

"Weiss?" she shouted thinking the CEO might've been in the living room, but just like before she was greeted again by silence. "… Weiss?"

It was the day after graduation all over again, only this time Ruby didn't wake up naked and satisfied. She quickly scanned the room for a note or a sign from Weiss that told her where she was or where she could be found, but the room was immaculate.

"Damn it, Weiss, you went and did it again—wait, you Schneeky little…" Ruby's anger faded like smoke when she looked at the nightstand to her left. Sitting there in plain sight next to a glass of water and medicine, Ruby found her scroll beside a familiar black velvet box.

Ruby didn't know what to reach for first. She already knew what was in the box so she grabbed the medicine, popped two out of the package and straight into her mouth, washing it down with more than half of the water. Once her stomach settled, Ruby took her scroll next and checked for any messages. There were three from Jaune asking her to stop by Beacon two hours ago, one from Yang asking how she was and if she saw Rouge and Noire's fight, five e-mails, and one voice mail from an unknown number. Ruby quickly set up the voicemail service and listened to it carefully.

 _[Sober up,]_ Weiss said sounding like a true authoritarian. _[Don't make me regret this.]_

The message ended there, but it everything Ruby needed to know. Weiss was giving Ruby the chance to rectify her past mistakes and her new scroll number. The old one Ruby had memorized had been cancelled years several ago, leaving her without any means to directly contact Weiss.

"Things are going to be different," she told herself as she grabbed the velvet box and opened it. "I'm not going to mess this up again."

The ring inside was still as beautiful as it was the first time Weiss presented it to her. The polished silver band glistened spectacularly wherever the light touched it, and the modest diamond sitting in the center was simply breathtaking. It wasn't a large gem. Weiss could have easily done something absurd and tacked on a monster of a rock, but that wasn't the point of this ring. She wanted to express her humble feelings for Ruby in the engagement ring and demonstrate their solidarity—at least that's what Ruby assumed Weiss would say about the ring. The simplicity was so straightforward, a reflection of who Weiss really was as a person and what she was willing to give to Ruby.

"God I was an idiot," Ruby said to herself as she carefully took the silver band out and slid it on her ring finger.

It fit her perfectly, but she wasn't surprised about that. The ring was made for her and no one else.

Ruby held her hand in front of herself and gazed at the shining silver ring secured to her left hand. It was an odd sensation. The metal was still cool to the touch and the light constriction around her finger was hard to ignore. It was an oddly pleasant feeling though, comforting even. Ruby was never one for jewelry or fashion accessories, but this was something she could really get used to.

Unable to hold back her excitement, Ruby brought her hand to her chest and cradled it within the other one, brushing her thumb lovingly over the smooth polished silver.

This felt right.

 _Bzzt-bzzzt-bzzzzzzt_

Ruby's scroll began vibrating with Jaune's name and number visible on the screen. The dampened noise interrupted Ruby's thoughts abruptly, startling her for a split second. She quickly grabbed it and answered.

"Hello?" she said trying her best to maintain an even tone.

 _[Ruby, oh thank god! I've been trying to get ahold of you for hours! I was beginning to think you were dead.]_ Jaune said angrily.

"Sorry," Ruby winced. The blonde man could be shriller than Weiss sometimes.

 _[Look, that doesn't matter anymore. Can you get to beacon in an hour or not?]_

"Yeah, but why?"

Jaune sighed heavily into the receiver and said, _[To finalize your contract so you can start before the next term begins. Remember? We talked about this.]_

"We did—I mean, yeah, totally." Ruby ran a hand through her hair and plopped herself back into the loving arms of her bed.

 _[You weren't paying attention were you?]_

"I was," she said in her defense, "for the most part." Jaune groaned loudly making Ruby grin smugly in turn. "Relax, Jaune. No need to get so wound up about things."

 _[Ruby, I think you're a little too relaxed,]_ Jaune said gruffly. He wasn't wrong. _[You're not having second thoughts about the job are you?]_

"Naw," Ruby hesitated, "yeah… about that…"

 _[God damn it, Ruby, what is it now?]_

"Can I start next year?" Ruby asked, looking at her ring with a big goofy smile.

Jaune paused and cleared his throat, _[That could be arranged, but why? You were pretty excited about starting as soon as possible yesterday. What happened last night?]_

"Would you believe me if I told you that I got engaged?"

 _[Ruby, you've been single for over two decades. Now give me the real reason you've changed your mind.]_

Rolling her eyes, Ruby activated her camera function and snapped a lovely photo of her giving Jaune the middle finger with her engagement ring fully visible in the shot. Ruby quickly sent it to her tightly wound-up friend and waited.

And waited.

And waited…

 _[No way!]_ Jaune exclaimed. _[Ruby what the hell?! How drunk were you last night?!]_

"Not drunk enough to say yes to a random stranger if that's what you're wondering," Ruby answered lightheartedly.

 _[Who is it?]_

"Try and guess."

Jaune sighed and leaned back into his chair. _[Are you really planning on getting married? Because I still remember Weiss' disaster of a proposal.]_

"That was then, this is now," Ruby grumbled. "I'm going to make it up to her."

 _[Wait! Wait, wait, wait! Weiss?! That ring—Weiss is actually giving you another chance?!]_

"Why, you jealous?" Ruby snickered. "But really, why is it so hard to believe that she'll give me another chance?"

 _[Wha—No! Of course I'm not jealous, I'm a happily married man!]_

"Didn't your wife leave you?"

 _[W-We're just taking a little break. Yeah, a break. But we're not talking about me here, Ruby. Are you sure this is the right thing to do? I mean, her wife just died. Isn't this moving way too fast?]_

Ruby rolled her eyes and hugged Weiss' pillow close to her body, inhaling the lingering scent of Weiss' favourite crisp green apple shampoo. "Bro, the choices we make are ours to decide. And plus, it's not our style to hesitate or wait for something to happen."

 _[Well, you're at least starting sound like yourself again. That brooding lone wolf thing you had going on didn't really suit you.]_

"Can't really lone wolf it if I've got my mate and pups to worry about," Ruby chuckled dryly. "Crap, Weiss is going to make me pick colour patterns again."

 _[Say you're colour blind,]_ Jaune suggested. _[Worked great for me.]_

"Wait, aren't you actually colour blind?"

 _[… yeah…]_

"So speaking of lone wolves… I should probably get going. I have an Ice Queen to track down," Ruby said, relinquishing Weiss' pillow.

 _[Okay, and the teaching job?]_

"Next year for sure," Ruby said as she got out of bed. She spotted her clothes folded neatly on top of the vanity, freshly cleaned and pressed. "I'll see you later, Jaune."

 _[I better be invited to the wedding this time!]_

"You can be the flower girl."

 _[Goodbye, Ruby.]_

Jaune sounded angry, but she could practically see his smile when he ended the call. Despite his grievances about the suddenness, Jaune was definitely happy for her. How could he not? He'd seen firsthand how Ruby lived her life without Weiss to keep her grounded.

Ruby jumped out of bed and shed her robe like a snake. The cool air bit into her skin, nipping away at her until she was dressed in the first layer of her clothes. She was considerably warmer now even though she wasn't in her socks yet. The bedroom carpeting was warm, soft, and plush like the bathrobe, making every step she took feel like she was sinking her toes in a fluffy white cloud. She really missed being in the lap of luxury, but right now she missed being in Weiss' arms more.

As she added the final touches to her outfit, Ruby took every chance she got to look at her ring. _Her_ ring. It was still such a foreign feeling to her. Before she tried on that ring on Ruby felt nothing out of the ordinary. She had been living her life as free as a bird, going wherever the wind took her. But when she slipped it on she felt heavy. There was a sudden weight she hadn't felt since she was a teenager crazy in love for the first and only time in her life. Wearing this ring brought her back to earth, telling her it was time she gave her restless wings a rest.

"Ruby Schnee…" she said testing the name out loud. "Nope."

It didn't roll off her tongue the way Rose did but perhaps that was just her preferences throwing a fit. Weiss Rose didn't sound right either. It was like an incomplete sentence and Weiss hated those with a passion. Maybe she could do what Coco did and hyphenate their names or even better, shorten Rose to a single letter and end it with Schnee.

"Ruby R. Schnee, pleasure to meet you Mr. Councilman," Ruby said feigning an Eastern Atlas accent. "Oh, I liked that!" she added with a big grin, throwing her posh character aside. "Now introducing Weiss R. Schnee and her super awesome wife, Ruby R. Schnee! Yup, that's the one."

When Ruby clipped her cape in place, she picked up her phone and scanned the room once over to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything before leaving it. While she was in the living room Ruby stopped by the bar to refill her flask, but stopped herself in the last second when she remembered Weiss' request.

Ruby rubbed the bottom of her chin then wiped the front of her face down in exasperation. "This is for you, Weiss," she said begrudgingly as she put the bottle down and walked past the bar, heading straight to the in suite kitchen fridge for some water instead.

She filled her flask to the brim with one of Weiss' fancy penthouse water bottles and took a small sip. She reeled back in disgust but swallowed it nevertheless. It was definitely mineral spring water judging by the distinctive taste mixing in with the final dregs of expensive whiskey still in the flask. Ruby sighed in dismay when she screwed the cap back on and tucked her father's prized flask away. The water wasn't going to help her through a stressful day the way alcohol did, but this was a good first step and one that would definitely make Weiss happy. The beautiful harpy did always say she should drink more water.

"Let's see what's on the agenda today…" Ruby idly told herself, tapping her email app open as she leaned against the counter. "Junk mail, junk mail,… oh, coupon for Jimmy James' Chimichangas—definitely saving that one. Private airship charter to Atlas, more junk mail, junk mail… wait, what?"

Ruby frantically flipped back to the strange email and reread it. Her eyes hadn't been wrong the first time, Weiss was sending her to Atlas.

"You're making this way too easy," Ruby said with a steadily growing grin.


End file.
